Hunted
by XxNatalieSkye169xX
Summary: When 16 Year-old Tessamine Frayne arrives back in Paris after a two-year cruise, she is kidnapped by people who want something from her. When two boys, Shadowhunters, come to her aid, What will happen? Things aren't always as they appear.(I do not own the Shadowhunter/Demon Idea. That is Cassandra Clare.) OC/OC. M JUST IN CASE!
1. Saved

If I get, say, 5 reviews, I'll update :P I already have many chapters written. ENJOY! (Disclaimer is in Summary.)

Tessamine Frayne was thrashing about in her chair. Securing her to the chair, were several large chains. Her hands were chained behind her back and around the back of the chair, and her legs were chained to the legs of the chair, and she was screaming. She remembered how she had stepped off of the boat that had left her in Paris, and bumping into someone on her way off of the boat, and then her memories gave way to darkness. I must have passed out, she thought. As she kept struggling in the chair, in the dark room, she heard a voice speak. "I wouldn't try, if I were you." It said. As a face stepped out into the light of the single, moonlit window, Tessa let out a gasp. "Oh, god." She grasped for words. "Luke." She whispered.

He was exactly as she remembered. Ink Black hair, Green eyes flecked with Gold, tanned skin. He was more muscular than before, she noted. He was also taller. "What the hell, Luke! Unchain me!" she cried. "I cannot do that, Tessamine." He said quietly. Before Tessa could speak, a voice boomed in the shadows. "Thank you, Luke. You bought her as I asked." The voice said. "What the hell is going on here? Luke?" Tessa shouted. "You may go now, Luke." The voice said now. It sounded closer. As soon as Luke had left the room, a face stepped into the moonlight. The man had Silvery-White hair, pale skin, and a very pointed face. "Who the hell are you?" Tessa cried. "How do you know me? What do you want? Why-"the man held up his hand, signalling for silence. Tessa ceased her questions. "My name is Samuel Silvertongue." "And?" she asked. "Do you-"before Samuel could finish his sentence, there was a loud yell from downstairs. Samuel's face darkened. He turned on his heels and ran for the door. "Great. Just great." Tessa said aloud to herself. A few minutes later, the door burst open. Behind its threshold stood a boy, around 16, the same age as Tessa. His eyes widened. "Dan, come up here." He called downstairs, before walking into the room and beginning to unchain Tessa. "Who did this to you?" he asked in a low voice. "Someone named Samuel Silvertongue." She answered, surprised. Just as the boy snapped the last chain, another boy came into the room. He stood at the door, a perplexed look on his face. As Tessa tried to walk to the door, her knees buckled underneath her, and she slid to the floor. The first boy slid one arm under her knees and one arm underneath her arms, and as if she were a delicate porcelain doll, he picked her up and carried her to the door and down the stairs. Just as they reached the first floor, a giant thing lumbered up to them. The boy gently dropped Tessa. "Run!" Shouted the boy, as the other boy sliced a dagger through the thing, and created a long cut. The thing took no notice. It moved toward Tessa, who was now hunched up against a wall atop a pile of burlap sacks. Just as the thing went to grab her, Tessa ripped her Jade necklace from her neck and bashed it against the thing's head. The necklace glowed an iridescent white before the thing vanished, and sifted away to ashes. Tessa looked at the pile of ashes through widened eyes, before re-fastening the pendant around her neck. The two boys looked at the thing too, before looking at Tessa. Tessa again tried to stand, but again slid to the floor. The first boy picked her up again, and they ran from the house until they could no longer see it. Once they slowed down, the boy holding Tessa gently laid her down, so she was sitting up, supporting her back against an oak tree. They were at the bottom of a hill, and Tessa could faintly see a city in the distance. "Are you alright?" the first boy asked her. "Y-yes. I-I think so." Tessa answered. "Hey, who are you?" Tessa asked. "I'm Jess. He's Dan." The first boy, Jess answered. "Where did you get this?" Dan asked. "It was my mothers. She gave it to me to look after shortly before she died." Tessa answered. Shortly afterward, Tessa could hear voices calling for Jess and Dan. Dan went up to the top of the hill and called something out, before re-joining Jess and Tessa. Soon, a group of people came to a halt at the top of the hill, mouths agape. They were staring at Tessa. Then they raced down the hill and came to a stop by Tessa. A few crowded around her, while the rest went over to Dan, who was still holding Tessa's pendant. One girl, with sandy blonde hair, knelt down by Tessa. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked, her eyes filling with concern as she saw Tessa's wounds from being beaten by Silvertongue before she regained consciousness. "I-"Tessa stared helplessly at Jess, to try to explain what had happened. While Jess explained, Tessa realised she felt exhausted. Soon, the darkness enveloped her, and she was unaware of the concerned faces staring down at her.

"Is she alright?" a voice asked. "Fine. She fainted from exhaustion, I think. She will wake soon" a second voice replied. "Oh, thank goodness." The first voice answered, before it once again became silent.


	2. Discovery

**What do you think? If there are any mistakes please review and let me know.**

_**-Amy xo**_

Tessa fluttered her eyes open. She was still in her now grass-stained, black, satin-and-gauze dress, but was now lying on a crisp white bed, in what looked like a hospital room. "Take it easy." A voice said. "We don't want you fainting again." Jess stepped out of the doorway. Tessa blushed. Habitually, she reached for her jade pendant. It wasn't there. She wildly looked around her. "Where's my pendant?" Tessa's voice rose a few octaves. "Right here." Jess replied, as he pressed the pendant into her palm. As she re-fastened it, Jess asked "Who are you, anyway?" "Tessa. Tessamine Frayne." She answered. "Are you able to walk, Tessamine?" Jess asked. Tessa shot Jess an exasperated look. "I've no idea!" she said. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. After taking a few steps, she nodded at Jess. He led her out of the room and into a hallway. He stopped outside a large wooden door. He winked at her, before pushing open the door. Behind the doors stood the most magnificent library Tessa has ever seen. Jess laughed at the sight of her face. "What?" she mock-scowled at Jess. Jess just laughed harder. "Tessamine?" a voice called out from somewhere within the library. She tensed. A woman with long, black hair stepped out from behind a bookcase. She crooked a finger at Tessa. With a glance at Jess, Tessa slowly made her way down the large concrete stairs and toward the woman. "My name is Megan. Megan Whitelaw." The woman said. "Umm, hi?" Tessa answered. She heard Jess chuckling softly. With a sharp glance at Jess, Megan continued. "How did you end up in that house?" she asked Tessa. Once Tessa had explained her story, Megan asked Tessa where she had gotten the pendant. "From my mother before she died." Tessa replied nervously. "What was your mother's name?" Megan asked Tessa. "Amelia. Amelia Frayne." Tessa replied. Megan pursed her lips. "Is this her?" She handed Tessa a photograph. "Yes. Why?" asked Tessa, puzzled. "Just as I thought. You are one of us." Megan said. "What are you?" Tessa asked. "Shadowhunters. We fight against the evil in our world, as well as fight with downworlders to eradicate demons." Megan said. Tessa slid to the floor.


	3. Music to my ears

**Slightly longer chapter for ya'll! Enjoy, and please review!**

Tessa awoke to a damp cloth being gently patted on her forehead and cheeks. She groaned. Megan looked down anxiously. Jess was also kneeling down beside Tessa. "Are you alright?" Jess asked. Before Tessa could reply, the girl Tessa met on the hill walked in. "Megan, Rosie is wondering what you would like for dinner." The girl said. Megan rattled of some dishes, before introducing Tessa to the girl. "Tessamine, this is Sophie. Sophie, this is Tessa." Megan said. Tessa smiled weakly at the girl, and the girl beamed back, before hurrying from the room. Once Jess had showed Tessa her room, she flopped the bed and soon fell asleep. A few hours later, Jess knocked on the door. Tessa awoke and opened it. "Dinner is in 15 minutes, if you want to join us." He said. Tessa said she would be there, and closed the door once Jess had left. Tessa then found a note on the closet, left by Sophie. Choose anything you like. It said. You can keep them, if you wish. Tessa smiled to herself, before opening the closet door. She chose a pair of black skinny jeans, a black top, a black leather jacket, and a pair of black velvet stiletto ankle boots with velvet tassels at the back. She brushed out her cascading Red hair, and she went to try to find the dining room. Once she had eventually found it, she was stunned. It had a high ceiling, dark wooden floors, and an enormous crystal chandelier. She saw Megan, Sophie, and a few other people she didn't recognise, sitting already. Tessa chose to sit next to Sophie. Sophie gave her a warm smile. "Thanks for the clothes." Tessa said. "No problem. You're welcome to them. I don't fit them anymore." Sophie gazed mournfully at the boots. The entrée was just being served when Jess and Dan came in. There were only two seats left, both next to Tessa. Jess gave Tessa a warm smile and sat down next to her. Tessa returned the smile. "Jess, Dan! Where were you?" Megan asked furiously. With a mouth full of rice and sweet potato, Jess and Dan could only mumble. "Pardon?" Megan asked. Jess cleared his throat. "Training" Jess said, before again taking a large bite of rice and sweet potato. Tessa thought Jess looked a lot like Luke. Ink Black hair, high cheekbones, luminous golden eyes like her own, and long eyelashes. He had paler skin than Luke, though. Once dinner and dessert were finished, everyone talked together, except Tessa. She was thinking, when she felt someone gently poke her arm. "Ouch." She said mildly. "Sorry." Jess shrugged. "Are you alright?" "Yes, fine." She said distantly. Jess doubted her, she could tell. A short while later, everyone was leaving. "Hey." A voice said at Tessa's side. It was Jess. "Do you know where you are going?" Tessa felt like saying yes, but she knew it wouldn't help. "No, not really." Tessa admitted. Jess flashed her a kind smile. "I'll show you." While they walked, Tessa asked "What is this place?" "An abandoned hospital." Jess replied. She opened her mouth to ask another question, when she heard the sound of a violin floating down the hall. "Tchaikovsky" Tessa said, wonderingly. "What?" Jess said, taken aback. "Tchaikovsky." Tessa repeated. "He was one of the greatest violin players of all time. He wrote Violin Concerto." Tessa said. Jess waited for a moment. "Come on." He said. "I'll show you."

Jess lead Tessa to a large Oak door. The violin had become louder now. Jess opened the door to reveal a magnificent music room. Tessa silently walked over to a bookcase and looked behind it, as it was in the middle of the room. There she saw Dan, playing the Violin Concerto in D minor. Tessa gasped. Dan stopped playing and turned around. He saw her and gave her a look of surprize. "That was the Violin Concerto, written by Tchaikovsky." Tessa's voice rose a few octaves. Dan smiled. "Do you like music?" He asked. Tessa nodded. "I can play that." Tessa said. Dan held out the violin and the bow. Tessa took it carefully before she raised it to her chin and looked at the score. Slowly, she began to play.

Once Tessa had finished, she looked up to see both Dan and Jess, their mouths forming silent os. "Wow." Jess said finally. "You are really good." Dan added. "Thanks. My mum taught me." Tessa said, blushing. She taught you well." Jess said. "Thanks." Tessa said. "How many instruments are in here?" Tessa asked. "Nearly 20 of each instrument that exists." Dan replied. "That would mean approximately 4000 instruments!" Tessa said in awe. "Wow. You are really smart." Jess commented. "Thanks." Tessa answered flushing an even deeper red. "Hey, is there a grand piano in here somewhere?" Tessa asked. Wordlessly, Dan and Jess led Tessa to the Grand Piano. Tessa ran a finger over the slick cover. "Can I play it?" Tessa asked. "Go ahead." Dan answered. Tessa sat down and lifted her fingers to the keys. She played.

Once the final note rang out, there were more people in the room. Tessa had hardly noticed, but nearly everyone she had seen at dinner had come into the room. Along with Jess and Dan, their mouths were hanging open "Where did you learn to play that?" One of the boys asked. "My mother" Tessa said. "Wow. She must have been seriously hot." The boy answered. "Tyler!" Sophie screeched, and chased Tyler around the room. "Sorry Tess!" Sophie yelled, while still chasing Tyler around the room. Tessa couldn't help laughing. "What song was that?" Megan asked. "God damn you're beautiful by Chester See" Tessa answered. "I don't care much for titles, just the music in itself." Tessa added. "It sounds so…so sad." Jess joined the discussion. "I play it every time I think about my mother." Tessa answered sadly, and looked down at the piano keys. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and one of the tiles came off of the bottom of the stairs. "Sophie, Tyler! Be careful!" Megan yelled. "It wasn't us!" they came out of another room, eyes wide. "Well, then-" Megan didn't finish her sentence, as all the other tiles came off, and another demon like the one Tessa killed in the manor rose up from beneath the stairs. Everyone's face was a picture of horror, especially Tessa's. The demon lumbered up to them. They all slowly backed into the other room where Tessa had played the Violin Concerto. It threw everyone to the side, and headed straight to Tessa, who was frozen in shock. Before she could move, it grabbed her and held her dangling in the air. It shook her violently, and she was dangling like a puppet. She squealed in surprize and shock. Suddenly, someone hit it with a Guitar, and it fell, flinging Tessa into the free-standing bookcase that separated the rooms. The bookcase toppled with the force of the push and Tessa fell on top of it, books scattering everywhere. Her head swam when she opened her eyes. The last thing she saw was Sophie. Sophie smashing a clarinet over the demons head, while Tyler returned with a long dagger. Tyler sliced the demon in half, and it folded in on itself. Then, everything went dark.


	4. Arrows and Daggers

Tessa woke to a cool, damp cloth being gently patted over her forehead. She looked up to see Sophie, Megan, Jess, Dan, and another girl looking down at her, concerned. She tried to sit up, and suddenly the world swam. "My head." She groaned, and the other girl spoke. "You probably have concussion." She said. Tessa weakly smiled. "Who are you?" Tessa asked the girl. "Lauren. Lauren Whyte." The girl, Lauren, answered. A few minutes later, once the world had stopped spinning, Jess gently lifted Tessa up before carrying her to the infirmary. Once she was there, Lauren gently put a cream on Tessa's head, and she put a bandage on it. Soon, the room was quiet. Everyone had left, and Tessa sat thinking about how her life had changed so dramatically. Soon, Tessa fell asleep.

The next morning, Tessa woke to sunlight streaming through the high windows. Soon after, Lauren came in. "Morning!" She said cheerfully. "Morning." Tessa answered. "What are everyone's names?" She asked Lauren. "Well, there's Jess, Dan, Megan, Tyler, Sophie, Crystal, and Clare. Then there's Rosie the cook, as well as Steph, Lucy, Kiera, and Danni, who are the maids." Lauren answered. "Wow." Tessa replied. Lauren helped Tessa up. "Thanks." Tessa said. "Anytime. Hurry along, now. Breakfast is just starting." Tessa fast walked to the Dining Hall. Once she was seated, the same as the night just gone, Jess and Dan arrived just after Breakfast was served. Megan didn't ask. Jess gave Tessa a warm smile. "How are you feeling?" He asked. "Good. A bit sore, but nothing serious." Tessa answered, and smiled back. That afternoon, as Tessa was writing down some music on a spare music score, she heard a knock on the door. It was Jess. "Hey." He said, and came in. "Hiya." Tessa answered, and she sat back down. "What are you doing?" Jess asked. "Nothing much." Tessa said, glancing down at the sheet. "What is 'nothing much'?" Jess asked, and picked up the sheet. "Nice!" Jess said after looking at the sheet. "What instrument?" He asked. "Violin." Tessa sighed, and flopped back. "You don't sound terribly pleased." Jess observed, and he sat down next to Tessa. "I can't think of a bridge that hasn't been written as a bridge before." Tessa answered, and she had a drink of water from the glass beside her bed. "How about you don't? You can always use the same bridge as long as the rhythm and the other notes are original." Jess answered. Tessa thought. She quickly scribbled some notes down. Gesturing for Jess to follow her, Tessa walked down the corridor to the Music room. It had been tidied and everything put back into place. Tessa grabbed a spare Violin and bow from the wall, before tuning it. She raised the bow, and began to play what she had written.

Jess was listening intently. When she was finished, he was amazed. He hadn't seen anyone but Dan play that well. "Come. I want to show you the training room. I think you would like it." Jess said, and he led Tessa out of the room. When they got to the training room, the first things Tessa saw were the Bow and arrows. "Ooh!" Tessa's gold eyes lit up. Jess followed her gaze and laughed. He went over grabbed several. He handed four to Tessa. He led her over to a target. "Go on." He gestured to Tessa. Tessa pulled her arm back, and aimed. All four shots landed straight in the middle. Jess couldn't believe it. "How did you do that?" he asked, shocked. Tessa giggled. "I don't know. I just aimed and shot, I guess." After an hour, both Jess and Tessa were covered in sweat. Tessa was training Jess on using a Bow and Arrow, and Jess was training Tessa on using Short blade Daggers. When the dinner bell went, they quickly raced off and got changed, before they went down to dinner. When they arrived, Megan asked where they had been. "Training room" Jess answered, before taking a bite. "What!" Megan screeched. "You took Tessamine to the Training Room?" Megan was furious. "I-"Jess looked helplessly at Tessa. "It was my idea. Anyway, I'm a good aim with A bow and arrow." Tessa said, before she too took a bite of the roast Pork. "Really?" Megan asked. Tessa nodded. "Well then show us after dinner." Megan said, and they all finished the rest of the meal in silence.

After dinner, Megan kept her word, and led everyone there to the Training Room. She grabbed a bow and a sheath of arrows and put them on the floor by Tessa's feet. Tessa picked up the bow and aimed, as one by one, each arrow hit the target right in the center. Megan stood, open-mouthed. Jess was at the back but Tessa could see him trying to hide a grin. Tessa then left the room and went to the Drawing room, took out a Sketchbook and a Pencil, and began to sketch one of the Daggers she had seen. It looked like an exact replica, even down to the details on the handle. Then, she was tired, so she packed up and left the room. She didn't notice Jess pick up the page and gaze thoughtfully after her.

The next morning, when she woke up, she found a belt, with a sheath of arrows and a bow next to her bed. Wear this to the Training Room 10:00am. ~Jess. She read the note, before getting dressed into black jeans, black top, black leather jacket, and black, leather, and stiletto ankle boots. When she went down for breakfast, Jess was already there. She inclined her head in a slight nod to show she got the note and would wear the belt. He nodded back and smiled. After breakfast Tessa went up and got the belt. She tied her hair up in a high ponytail and went upstairs to the Training room. Even though her hair was on top of her head, it was almost to her knees. Inside, she saw Jess practicing his shooting with a bow and arrow. "Trying to beat me, I see." Tessa stepped out of the shadows. He gave her a shrug. "I don't like being beaten." Was all he said in reply, as he shot and missed. "You'd better get used to it then." Tessa said in reply, and shot behind her back and still hit the target. Jess grinned and swatted his hair out of his eyes. "You have long hair." He commented. "Yep" Tessa answered, and she flung an arrow at the ceiling beam, which was very thin and narrow, and hit the dead center. Just then, they heard a knock on the door. It was Dan. "There's been a report of a dead lycanthrope girl by the park. We're needed, as the place stank of a demonic presence." Was all Dan said, before he left the room. "Come on, then." Jess tugged at Tessa's sleeve, and they went after was in a vicious battle with a demon when Tessa and Jess caught up. The demon threw Jess aside, and kicked Tessa's knees, and she went down. Just as the demon lifted his hand to strike Dan, a Dagger went sailing through the air and sliced the demon's taloned hand right off. The demon screeched, before turning to smoke, drifting through the wind. Jess and Dan looked at Tessa, but she was already standing, and looking at Dan with amusement. "I bet you that you didn't know I could do that." Tessa said, before, going over to him. "Are you alright?" She asked him. "Fine." Dan answered, but as he put his wrist out to help steady himself, it was clear he wasn't. "Here." Tessa said, and grabbed his other hand, before pulling him up. Jess then came over, and helped Dan to temporarily bandage his wrist, before leading them all back to the they got inside, Sophie and Lauren rushed to them. "Are you okay?" they both asked. "Fine. I think Dan hurt his wrist, though." Tessa answered, before Lauren and Sophie led Dan to the infirmary, leaving Jess and Tessa alone in the hallway. "Nice move. Slicing off the demon's hand." Jess said. "Well, if I had thrown the dagger at its chest, then it would have fallen on top of Dan, which would be worse." Tessa shrugged. "Come, Tessamine. I think I have something that belongs to you." Jess said, and he led Tessa to his room.

"Nice décor." Tessa's voice dripped with sarcasm. The room was yellow with purple butterflies. Jess grimaced. "I know. It's horrible." He said, before going over to his desk. He took out a sheet of paper from his drawer. "I think this is yours." He said, and handed it over to Tessa. It was the drawing of the dagger. "But I-" Tessa said, and was interrupted by Jess. "I saw it in the drawing room, and I knew it was yours." He indicated to Tessa's signature at the bottom of the page. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was Lauren. "Tessamine, Megan would like to see you in the library." Lauren said, before scurrying down the corridor. "Here, take it." Tessa handed Jess the drawing. "I don't want it. You can have it." She added, before she hurried down the hall toward the library.

**Remember to Favourite, Follow, and Review! This is quite long I just want more up!**

**~Amy xo**


	5. Alleyway

**Thank you, IAmTheRevelation, for posting this kind review!**

**_So far so good... I like Tessa and I like Jess...a lot... He sounds cute. You have exceptional grammar skills so I can't say anything! Now, as for some things, I noticed that my name is in here- it's Kiera, hehehehe. Also, I want Tessa and Jess to end up together! They have chemistry, I think. Keep up the great work and I'll be watching for more stories you post!_**

**It's really sweet. In this chapter, You'll get your wish! ~Amy xo**

When Tessa got there, she found Megan sitting at a desk. "Oh. Tessamine." Megan got up and stepped toward Tessa. "What were you thinking? Going off after that demon? I know you are new here but-""STOP!" Tessa cried. "It wasn't me. It was Dan's idea." Tessa explained about how Dan had come into the Training room. "Please forgive me, Tessamine." She said, before Tessa left and headed to the Music room. When she got there, she found Jess, looking through her Sketchbook. "Looking for anything in particular?" Tessa stepped onto the balcony to join Jess. He jumped in surprise, and almost dropped the Sketchbook. "I-""It's okay. I don't mind." Tessa said gently. "You're a really good artist." Jess said. He gave her the Sketchbook. As he went inside, Tessa called out. "Jess." He turned, and walked toward the balcony. "Yes?" he asked. "Please don't call me Tessamine. It's too formal. Make it Tessa." She said. "Okay, Tessa" he said, emphasizing her name. Later on, Tessa was in her room sketching, when she heard Dan and Jess arguing in the library, as her room was right next door to the library. "What happened to you? You were never so desperate to risk your life. Now you are risking your life every day! What about the report, the lycanthrope girl. There wasn't one, was there? You made it all up!" Jess said. "What about you? You were never so somber, never not desperate to break the rules. It's all because of her. Tessamine." Dan said, bitterness colouring his voice. "Ever since we found her…" Tessa didn't hear anymore. She crept out of her room and into the library. By this time both boys had their daggers out. Just as they went to try to strike each other, Tessa threw two daggers, end over end, toward the other daggers. All four daggers clattered to the ground. Tessa stood there for a moment, with the two boys staring at her in disbelief, before she spun on her heel and ran for the door. Dan went into another room, and Jess ran after Tessa. He ran into the hallway, expecting it to be empty, but it wasn't. Tessa was leaning back against a wall, blinking furiously as if she was crying. As she saw Jess and turned her head towards him,  
he saw she was crying. She turned and bolted to the front door. She threw them open and stood for a few moments, until Jess had nearly caught up to her, and she turned right, and bolted down the brick path. It was pouring with rain, and Jess was getting soaked. He saw Tessa dash into an alley behind a bakery, and ducked into the alley, expecting it to be empty. Tessa was facing a wall, and was banging her head against it. There was a trickle of blood running down her forehead. "Tessa" He said, and she turned her head slightly, before turning it back to the wall. "Tessa!" he said, and he grabbed her shoulders and spun her towards him. "Why were you talking about me? What were you-"Tessa!? Listen to me for a moment!" Jess said. "You all hate me. I know it. Megan hates me, Dan hates me, and you hate me-""Tessa! I don't hate you!" Jess interrupted. "Why should I believe you?" Tessa looked up, and her usually luminous eyes had dulled to a faint glimmer. "I swear on the angel, Tessa, you have to believe me. You've taken all of our lives by storm. You're-"Jess broke off, biting his lip. "You're special, Tessa. It's rare for us to find a Shadowhunter as brave as you are. You have words as sharp as the daggers you are ace at throwing. You are as good as drawing as you are playing music. You have this." He said, gently running his finger along the Jade pendant. "Why would we hate you?" "Jess." Tessa sighed. Jess lifted Tessa up and pressed his mouth against hers. She put her arms around his neck and he traced her lips with his. It was still pouring with rain, so they were soaked through. He tasted like salt and water and ash, but Tessa didn't care. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. They broke apart, and they saw the door to the bakery had blown off. They looked at each other before heading in. the place was crawling with demon-looking dogs. "Hellhounds." Breathed Jess. One of the dogs leaped toward Tessa. Tessa ripped off her jade pendant and bashed it over the dog's head. She continued doing so until all the dogs which had come to her were lying on the floor, motionless. Jess and Tessa ran out and toward the Institute. Once they got there, they pushed open the doors and raced inside. They ran to the library, where they found Megan. Megan sent out a team of Shadowhunters, including Dan, and sent them to rest.


	6. Taken

Later on that night, Tessa headed to the Music room, and to the balcony. She picked up a Violin and played the Violin Concerto. "Tessa." Tessa turned around, startled, and saw Jess, his hair still slightly wet. "You keep getting better. I don't know how you do it." Jess said, and he stepped out onto the balcony. "I don't either, to be perfectly honest." She laughed shakily. "Tess, they found a body." "And?" she answered. "It was Amelia Frayne's body." Jess said, looking at the floor. "But-"Tessa's head swam. "That's impossible. I buried my mother a few months ago." Tessa said, her voice rising a few octaves. "Tessa, Amelia wasn't your mother." Jess said quietly. "I-"for once, Tessa was lost for words. Tessa sank into a chair, and put her head in her hands. Jess heard her sobbing slightly. "Tess-"Jess sat down beside her. He pulled her into his arms, and he heard her crying softly."Then-then who was my mother?" Tessa asked between sobs. "We don't know yet." Jess said. Tessa turned her head up toward his. "Tess." Jess gently pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Suddenly, Tessa pressed her mouth to his. He was surprised for a moment, before he held her tightly and kissed her back.

The next morning, they woke to someone gently shaking them. It was Dan. As Jess rubbed sleep out of his eyes, Tessa stared at Dan sleepily. Dan had a look of amusement on his face. 'Wake up, sleepyheads. It's already 11 o'clock!" Dan said. He smiled at Tessa. "Go get your Violin from Downstairs. It fell from the balcony." He added. Tessa blushed. She gingerly stood up and went downstairs, rubbing her eyes. Jess was now sitting up, still trying to rub the sleep away. He got up and went downstairs, to go to his room, and didn't notice Dan's puzzled look.

Later on that afternoon, Tessa decide to go for a walk. It was a beautiful summer's day. Jess saw her and went after her. "Hey." He said. 'Hi" Tessa smiled warmly. 'I was just going to go for a walk. Want to come with me?" Jess smiled gratefully, and joined her. After a while, Jess started noticing that these people were following them. He told her so in a low voice. She slowly turned to see the people were following them. Suddenly, one of them grabbed Jess and threw him on the ground. "Jess!" Tessa cried, and knelt down beside him. Just then, another one of them grabbed Tessa, and dragged her away.


	7. The Dark Room

When Tessa woke, she was lying on the ground in a strange room. She tried to sit up, and felt a searing pain up her right arm. She saw it had a long gash and was bleeding. She then saw Jess lying crookedly across the room. She crawled over to him. "Jess?" she whispered. He groaned. As he opened his eyes, she saw he had a long cut down his face. She fingered it gently. "Tessa?" he said. "Oh, God. Where are we?" he asked. She shrugged. Just then the door opened. Samuel Silvertongue stepped in. "Ah, Jess Whitelaw and Tessamine Frayne. I see you have awakened." He said in his gravelly voice. Tessa and Jess glared at him. "What the hell do you want?" Tessa asked. 'You never got around to explaining it the last time we met." Her mouth curved into a smirk at the corners. "No, I didn't. But you are the only one who has what I want." Samuel said. "And that is what?" Tessa said. Samuel smiled a sickening smile. "Your Pendant." He said.

**Sorry it's so short!**

**~Amy xo**


	8. Reveal

"But, I don't have it." Tessa said. Samuel looked toward Jess, who then handed something to Tessa. It was her pendant which she had lost at the bakery. Just then, two burly men strode into the room. They grabbed Tessa and Jess, and led them downstairs into another room. A few hours later, both Jess and Tessa were asleep. They woke to a loud crash. Then, they heard a yell. They raced for the door and went to Samuel. Jess got him a few times, before Tessa, still standing on the stairs, threw a dagger and got Samuel in the chest. He slumped to the ground, and Jess and Tessa ran out of the house, and down a hill, before Jess shoved Tessa down and covered her, while there was a Bang! And the house burst into flames. Once everything had died down, they picked themselves up and walked until they found a cab that could take them to the city. They left the cab and walked into the institute, bloodied and cut. Megan rushed up to them, bombarding them with questions. Once Megan had calmed down, she asked them to go with her to the Library, and she turned on her heels and walked away. They both followed her. "We discovered who your mother is, Tessamine." Megan said. Tessa nodded. "Alicia Nightshade." Megan said. Jess jumped, startled by the name. Dan then came in. "Did someone mention my mother?" he said. Megan looked at Tessa, to see her reaction. Her face was a look of shock. "Oh, Tess-"Jess began, before Tessa leaned back against a wall and slowly slid to the floor, putting her head in her hands. Jess knelt down beside her. He could hear her sobbing. He looked at Dan, and Dan came over. "Tessamine-"he began, but was cut off by Tessa. "Don't call me that! " Tessa screamed, and bolted for the door. Dan went to go after her, but Jess stopped him. "Don't. Leave her for a while." Jess said in a low voice. Dan raised his eyebrows but didn't protest. At dinner, Tessa didn't appear. Later on, Jess went out and bought some Pizza, before going the one place he knew she'd be.

Even from the stairwell, Jess could hear the clanging of knives hitting wood. He went into the Training room silently. "Tessa-"he said, before quickly ducking as a dagger came flying in his direction, skimming his hair. Tessa stood, a look of surprise on her face. "Jess." She said finally. "You startled me." "Not more than you startled me." Jess said, and he plucked the dagger from the wall, before sliding it in a spare sheath and gently throwing it to Tessa. "I bought you Pizza." He said, and lightly dropped a cardboard box onto a table. "Thanks." Tessa said simply, and went over to the box. "Look, I know you're upset but-" "Of course I'm upset. My mother is someone I never knew and my brother is someone who hates me. My life is really fabulous right Now." She snapped, and she threw another dagger at the wall. Jess grabbed her arms, and took away the dagger she had picked up. "Tess, listen to me. I know you're upset, but you have to come down at some point. You can't stay up here forever." Jess said gently. "Why not!?" Tessa snapped, and tried to pull her arms free, but Jess kept his grip. "Tessa! Stop acting like you're a brick wall!" Jess said. "What's that supposed to mean?" Tessa said. "Like you don't have a personality. Like nothing ever hurts you! I grew up the same way, believing that my last name was Frayne. Then I found out that my last name was Whitelaw, and I felt exactly the same way." Jess said. "You also believed your last name was Frayne?" Tessa whispered. Jess nodded. "I thought my dad was Michael Frayne." Jess said. "That's my dad!" Tessa exclaimed. 'Well, it was my dad." She added, before looking up at Jess. "You can't act like this forever. You're not invincible, Tess." Jess said. Tessa sighed. "I just don't feel like being around anyone at the moment. Especially not Dan." Tessa said. Jess sighed. "You're going to have to see him at some point." Jess said, gently tucking a loose strand of Tessa's hair behind her ear. "Tess." Jess sighed. "When you first came here, it was like you had built yourself a brick wall. Slowly, one by one, the bricks fell away, revealing you." Jess said. 'The real you. Now, because of a single piece of news, despite what the news is, you've rebuilt this wall. You can't keep hiding away like that. You've got to face a challenge, head on, like you always do. Like when you smashed a demon's head in with your pendant. Sliced a demon's hand off using a dagger from 50 feet away. Killed many hellhounds using, again, that pendant. This isn't like you, shying away from a challenge." Jess said. Tessa sighed. "Hey, Jess?" she asked. "Yes?" he replied. "Why is my pendant so special? Capable of doing all these things?" Tessa asked. Jess sighed. "It's not jade. It's Green Adamas. Only the Iron Sisters can craft with the stuff. That's why it's so special. Is pretty much a Shadowhunter-Only material." Jess said. Tessa nodded her head slowly. Gently, she kissed Jess. "Please, when I go down, please stay with me." She said. Jess smiled against her lips. "Of course."


	9. Shock

After Tessa had eaten the pizza, Jess helped her tidy away the Daggers, before heading downstairs with her, like he said. On their way, they ran into Dan, who was going upstairs. Tessa went rigid, and her face was as still as stone. "Tess." Jess said warningly. Tessa took a deep breath. She smiled. "Hi." She said, and glided down the stairs. Jess chuckled, and went after her, Dan soon following. "What's up with her?" Dan whispered. "She's upset. Wouldn't you be?" Jess said, and raced to catch up with Tessa.

Tessa couldn't sleep. She kept replaying the scene in her head, when she found out who her mother was and who her brother was. So, she got up, got quickly changed into the black, ankle boots, the black skinny jeans, and the black tank top with the black leather jacket, and wandered noiselessly into the library. She lit a lamp and reached for a book on a shelf. She set it down silently and thumbed to the index, and found Nightshade. She went to the page given and started looking at the Nightshade family tree. With a start, Tessa saw her own name on there. Under Alicia and Aaron Nightshade, there was Daniel Stephen Nightshade and Tessamine Serenity Nightshade. "Hey." Said a voice at the door, and Tessa turned, startled. It was Dan. He came over and saw what she was looking at. He smiled ruefully. "I knew I had a sister called Tessamine. But mum told me she died in a fire when I was three or so." Dan said. "When you arrived, I just didn't put the two-and-two together." Dan looked down at the page. "It's fine, really." Tessa said. "To be fair, we do look quite alike." Tessa smiled at him. Just then, Megan came in, flustered. "Good. I thought you two would be in here. There's someone here to see you, Tessamine." Megan said, and rushed out the door again. Tessa and Dan exchanged quizzical looks, before heading off to the door. When they got there, they went to stand beside Jess. Dan stood still and went pale. Standing in the doorway was a woman, no taller than Tessa. She had wavy dark-red hair, a darker shade than Tessa's, and Tessa's gold eyes. In other words, a near mirror-image of Tessa. "Umm, who are you?" Tessa asked nervously. As soon as the woman saw Tessa, her face lit up. "Tessamine!" she cried. "Umm, who are you again?" Tessa asked. The woman's face turned to Megan. "Did you not tell her I was coming?" she asked curiously. "I-there wasn't time." Megan flustered. The woman turned her attention back to Tessa. 'Why, Tessamine." She said. "I am your mother."


	10. Anger Issues

Tessa's golden eyes went wide with shock. She had slightly golden, tanned skin, but now it looked more milky white than tanned. "I-What?" Tessa said. "I had to leave you when you were two." She said sadly. "I knew a friend of mine always wanted a child, so I gave you up. She went as Amelia Frayne, bust she wasn't the real Amelia Frayne." The woman said. "What is your name?" Tessa asked. "Alicia." The woman, Alicia said. "Well, I'll be off, Alicia" Tessa said coldly, and shoved past her, outside. It was blowing a gale, and raining in sheets. There was a crack of lightning that lit up the night sky. Tessa turned, and ran.

Jess and Dan ran to the door. "Tessa!" they both yelled, but to no avail. She had simply disappeared. They looked at each other for a moment, before running after her, taking out their witchlight's as they ran. Alicia sank down onto a chair and started sobbing. Megan comforted her, telling her everything was going to be fine, and they would return with Tessa soon. It got to past midnight, and there was still no sign of them.

Jess shoved Dan to go ahead. "I'll meet you here later." Jess said, and waited for Dan to go. He had a fairly good idea where she would be. He turned toward the alley where he had found Tessa before, and looked up just in time to see Tessa dash around a corner. "Tessa! Wait!" he shouted, and raced after her. She had run into another alley, a dead end. Tessa slid down the wall and started crying. "Oh, Tess." Jess said, and he walked over, before kneeling down beside her. "Jess." Tessa sobbed, and buried her head in her knees. "Remember what I told you? 'You've got to face a challenge, head on, like you always do. Like when you smashed a demon's head in with your pendant. Sliced a demon's hand off using a dagger from 50 feet away.' I mean that, Tess. You can't keep on running from your problems." Jess said gently. "We've been having too many run-ins with demons, lately. And all of them are coming for you." Jess's voice was desperate, urgent. "Please come back with me Tess." Tessa quietened her sobbing. "I can't face her! She abandoned me. Left me with some friend of hers. Who would do that to their own child?" Tessa said in between sobs. Jess clutched Tessa tightly. "Everything will be fine. You will sort it out. But we must head back." Jess said. There was silence. Then, slowly, Tessa rose her head. "My Pendant." She whispered. It was glowing, and was hot to the touch. Jess cursed. 'It is meant to detect demons." He said. "Now, you should really start to panic." Jess said, staring over her shoulder. A giant demon was standing over them, a cold smile on its face. It grabbed at Tessa, before a shining steel dagger went flying through the air, and got the demon's hand. The demon vanished. No single trace. Tessa and Jess turned toward the direction the dagger came from, and saw Dan. Dan smiled. "I guess I just returned the favour, hey Tess?" Dan said, before coming over to them and helping them both up. Tessa had injured herself running, and the demon had scraped her face, sending small rivers of blood down her face, where the scratches had left slight indentations. Dan and Jess helped Tessa walk while they slowly made their way back to the Institute. When they got there, they found Megan, Sophie, Lauren, Alicia, and Tyler all standing in the foyer, worriedly. When Sophie saw them, she let out a squeal. 'They're here!" Everyone descended on the threesome, asking Dan and Jess what happened, and leading Tessa to the Infirmary, so they could attend the cuts and the slightly twisted ankle Tessa had sustained while running. A few minutes later, in the infirmary, Tessa was lying on one of the crisp white beds, getting her ankle bandaged and getting cream smoothed over her face and the cuts. Just before she passed out, she remembered thinking: why did this all happen to me? Before she let the darkness fold in around her.

Tessa woke to the sound of a small glass being placed by her bedside. She fluttered her eyes open and remembered all that had happened to her yesterday. There was now a small mug next to her bed. She slowly lifted herself up and peered into the cup. It was filled with Cinnamon Hot Chocolate. She rested her head back against the wall and saw Alicia standing by the bed. Tessa gave a weak smile. Alicia handed her the mug and Tessa slurped it gratefully. "Look, Tessamine-"Tessa interrupted her. "Please, call me Tessa. Tessamine is much too formal." "Okay. Look. I need to explain your past." Alicia said. "Okay. I'm listening." Tessa said. "When you were born, Daniel was three. I was living on my own, as a widow of a Mundane. I married him and I separated myself from the Clave, so that's why you had no Nephilim upbringing. Your father was killed by a fire at his workplace, by the way. Anyway, I had no job, and Daniel was very…difficult." Tessa smiled. "I gave you to my friend, who was at the time pretending to be Amelia Frayne, don't ask me why, as I have no idea myself. When I got a letter from Megan, I was most surprised. She said she remembered that I had a daughter, and asked what her name was. The reply I got was astonishing. She explained all about you, and I portaled here straight away." Alicia finished. Tessa was silent for a moment. "We look a lot alike." Tessa said. "Is there anything I got from my father?" Tessa asked quietly. "Well, what are your passions, what are you good at?" Alicia asked. "Violin, Piano, Guitar, Singing, Reading, and I'm a crack shot at throwing Daggers. Oh, and drawing." Tessa rattled off. "You got most of them from your dad. I was the singer, though." Alicia smiled. "Well, I'd better get changed." Tessa said. Alicia smiled. "Before I forget, I'm interested to know your secrets on how you manage Dan." Tessa paused. "No one manages Dan." She sighed.

A few minutes later, Tessa was walking down the marble steps toward the Music room. "Hey." Tessa jumped, startled, and saw Jess standing behind her. "You gave me a fright!" she mock-scowled at Jess, and he laughed. "I presume you've talked to Alicia." Jess said, and joined Tessa as she walked toward the Music room. "Yes. I know everything now." Tessa said. "If you want to know, ask Dan." Tessa said, and pushed open the door, nearly knocking Jess over. "Whoa!" Jess said. Tessa sighed. "Sorry." She said. She didn't sound sorry. She picked up a Violin and played the harshest song Jess had ever heard. 'Careful, you'll break the Violin!" Jess said. "Why should I care?" Tessa snapped, and snapped the bow in half "Tessa!" Jess said. "My whole life is falling apart around me, and I can't do anything about it!" "Tessa-"Jess said. "No! I don't need to hear it." Tessa screamed, and threw one of the ends of the bow at Jess it hit his shoulder. "Tessamine!" Jess shouted, and grabbed her and shook her. Hard. "Shut up and listen, will you?!" Jess said. Tessa tried to get away, but it was a vain attempt. "You have got to listen to me." "Jess! Let go of me you-" "No! No I won't let you go until you stop acting like this. It has got to stop!" Jess said. "Every time you hear something you don't want to hear, you go off in a Temper!" "Well, maybe I want a normal life. Maybe I want to go back to how things were before. Maybe I just want to sink into a hole." Tessa said. "Tessa! Stop acting like that!" Jess tightened his grip of her arms. "You are one of the best Shadowhunters I know. You have had virtually zilch training, and yet you throw a dagger like you're just walking down the street. You are completely fearless. Why the hell would you say that?!" "Because it's true!" Tessa's eyes welled up with tears. "I want to go back to how things were. When I was living in Paris, and I got off of a cruise ship after going to the Bahamas for a 2 years. When I was at high school, learning French and music." Tessa's eyes could hold no longer, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "Why me?" Tessa whispered. Jess hugged her tight. 'Because it is your destiny. You could be one of the greatest Shadowhunters the world has ever known" Jess whispered into her ear. Tessa clutched him tightly. "But-" "Tess." Jess said softly, and looked into her glittering Golden eyes. "We need you. You could save us. Now only with this-"Jess broke off, gently fingering Tessa's pendant. "But with this." He touched her temple. "You are more powerful than the regular Shadowhunter. You have the power to defeat those who are coming after you who might be dark Shadowhunters, or warlocks. We need you. You can't just throw all this away." Jess said. Tessa looked at the ground for a few moments. When she raised her head, Jess pulled her toward him, pressing his mouth to hers.


	11. Interesting

"Any news from anyone who is trying to kill me now?" Tessa said. She was lying on her bed, reading, when Jess had knocked, asking to come in. Jess bit his lip. 'Maybe." He muttered. "Well? My ears are working perfectly fine!" Tessa said. "We have had a message delivered from a group of dark Shadowhunters. They are asking for you to be delivered to them or they set fire to the city." "What!" Tessa cried. "Are they crazy?!" "Probably." Jess said. He sat down on the bed, as now Tessa had swung her legs over the side of the crisp white bed. "So, what do we do?" Tessa asked. "We wait."

Tessa was sitting by the window in the Music room, watching the city. Suddenly, and spark of bright light lit up the sky. It was a fire, and it was spreading quickly. She called out to Jess and Dan, and they came running. As soon as they saw it, they both cursed. "They really were serious." Dan said, and he ran to get Megan. Tessa sees a family running from their home, which has caught on fire, and they are screaming for help, crying, when a circle of fire envelops them. Tessa's eyes well up, and she covers her mouth with her hand. Jess pulls her toward him, and hugs her tightly.

A few hours later, there is nearly nothing left of the city. As Tessa walked downstairs and into the library, she is greeted with around four or five white faces, Megan in the center. Without a word, Megan thrusts a letter at Tessa, who nearly drops it. She reads it, her eyes widening in shock.

Give us the girl. If you do not give her to us, we will destroy all those you love. We have already destroyed the city. How much more will you take?

Tessa's hands tremble. "Oh, god." She says at last. "Who could be sending these?" Dan says, and they all start talking. "Luke Kendall." Tessa says quietly. Everyone swivels their head toward Tessa. "Luke Kendall." Tessa repeats. "He was a close friend of my family. He was in the room first when I was first caught before Samuel came in. He went out, and I haven't seen him since. Could he be the one behind this?" "Luke Kendall?" Megan says incredulously. "Yes. Why?" Tessa said, looking at Megan. Megan had gone pale, and was running a shaky hand through her hair. "Luke is Jess's father." Megan says at last.


	12. Rescued

Silence falls upon the room. Tessa looks as though she is going to throw up, while Jess is staring down at the floor like a hole will open and swallow him. "I-"Tessa's head begins to swim. Everyone starts to talk at once. "Wait." Tessa says, and every head swivels toward her. She looks up. "I have an idea. If you give me to him, just make sure you try to follow me and stay nearby." Tessa says, before stalking out of the room. "We can't possibly-"Megan begins, but is cut off by Jess. "Let her do it. She does have her Pendant, and she can use anything. Trust me, I've seen her use a trash can to slice a demon clean in half. We might as well." He says slowly, before looking up at Alicia and Dan. "But it's your choice." Alicia's lip starts to tremble. "Okay." Dan says. "Let's do it."

A few hours later, Megan receives a reply.

Send her to 121 West Mara drive.

They set out. They leave Tessa a block away and surround the place for the plan. Tessa takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. The door swings open and she steps inside. She is grabbed by the shoulders and led to a small, dark room, where Luke is waiting. "I see your so-called 'friends' made the right decision." Luke said. Tessa, following the plan, just swallowed. "Can I ask you a question, Tessamine?" Luke asked her. She nodded. "Now, I want the truth. Can you promise me that?" Tessa nodded again. "I hear you have been with Megan and Jess Whitelaw." Luke said. "Are they doing okay?" Luke asked. Tessa stared. Seriously? Was Luke asking about their welfare? "Yes." Tessa said through gritted teeth. "I always felt guilty about leaving them." Luke said aloud to no one in particular. He moved toward Tessa, and she backed up. Luke kept coming closer, until Tessa was backed against a wall. "Give me the Pendant."Luke hissed. Tessa could only laugh. "I don't have it." She declared, and Luke took a step back. "Tom, get her." He ordered, and a man stepped out of the shadows. He grabbed Tessa's arms and pulled her against the wall, banging her head on the concrete slab, and the world fell away to darkness.

Tessa woke to the door crashing open. There stood Jess, Dan, Sophie, Lauren, and Megan. Luke quickly grabbed Tessa and held a knife to her throat, pulling her to the center of the room. "If you move, I'll kill her." Luke said. "You wouldn't." Dan said. Luke pressed the knife into Tessa's skin, and she felt a trickle of hot liquid spill down her chest. Dan's eyes widened. Sophie used her gold snake whip and secured it on Luke's leg. Luke shouted out, and he pushed Tessa away. She flew through the air and slammed into the concrete wall, slumped, and fell into a pile of hay. Tessa passed out again, unaware of what was going on. Sophie reeled Luke in kicking and screaming, before pushing him into a freezer box, reeling in her whip just before she slammed the door shut, and locked it. Luke's henchmen struck, and beat them all bloody, although they remained standing and fighting. Once Luke's henchmen had been defeated, they all trooped out, except Jess. He went over to the pile of hay, and gently knelt down beside Tessa. He lightly shook her shoulder. "Tessa." He whispered. She fluttered her eyes open and sat up slowly. "Jess?" she whispered, her voice croaky. Before she could react, Jess pulled her toward him, pressing his mouth to hers. She looped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. They parted, and Tessa gasped for breath. "How did you-"Jess interrupted. "Dan and I were watching from the window, and Soph, Lauren, and Megan were checking around and knocking over any guards." Jess answered. Tessa nodded. "Luke-" "Is locked in a freezer box." Jess grinned, despite his bloody appearance. "I have the feeling he's feeling a bit chilly right about now." Tessa laughed. "Do you have-""Yes. Right here." Tessa said, putting her hand into her inside jacket pocket, and pulling out the pendant. Tessa could see the look on his face. 'I said I didn't have it." She answered his expression, before fastening the pendant back around her neck. Jess pulled her to her feet, and helped her hobble out. Suddenly, there was an ear splitting whistle, and Jess pushed her to the door. She stumbled out, before righting herself and looking towards the door. A few minutes later, Jess came out. "Go." He said, pointing toward the paddock next door to the house. Tessa half ran, half hobbled to the paddock, and swung herself over the fence. Megan came over. "How-" Suddenly, there was a loud roar from the house, and it exploded into bright light. The waves of heat were incredibly strong, knocking them over. A few minutes later, they pulled themselves up, and saw that where the house once stood, was a pile of completely blackened wood.


	13. The Path to Betrayal

A few days later, Tessa was in the Drawing Room, drawing a coiled snake, when Crystal came in. "Hi, Crystal." Tessa said. Crystal sat down beside her. She was silent for a few moments, So Tessa turned toward her. Crystal's hand cracked across Tessa's face. Tessa cried out, her face stinging with pain. "Don't waltz in here and act all high and mighty." Crystal hissed, before leaving. Tessa rubbed her face gently. What did I do? She wondered.

Tessa was wandering through the corridors when she saw Crystal up ahead. She walked up behind her. "Hey there, buddy." She said, and Crystal turned, startled. "What's your problem?" Tessa asked. Crystal grabbed a length of Tessa's hair and tugged at it. Hard. "You heard me." Crystal said again. "I don't see your problem." Tessa shrugged. Crystal slapped her again. Tessa raked her fingernails down the side of Crystal's face, and Crystal pushed Tessa to the ground, before she started kicking her. Tessa lunged for Crystal's foot, grabbed it, and yanked it, Crystal slid to the ground. Megan came rushing, just as Crystal was about to kick Tessa again. "What is going on?" she said, looking from Tessa to Crystal. She led them both into the library, before taking Tessa and talking with her, first. "So, what happened?" she asked. Tessa explained it all, from the drawing room to just before Megan found them. Megan then took Crystal and asked her the same thing, but Crystal said that Tessa had started it all, she was acting in self-defense, blah blah blah. Megan chose to believe Tessa, and Tessa went to her room, silently fuming. She was sitting on her bed, playing her Guitar, when someone knocked on the door. It was Jess. He looked surprised to see her face so bloody. Before he could even ask, Tessa pointed to her face, and said one word. "Crystal."

Later on that night, everyone was seated for dinner. Megan suddenly rushed in with a letter. She was pale and trembling. Jess tensed next to Tessa. Megan just thrust the note to Tessa, who took it and read it.

Did you really think you were safe? We want that pendant. We will do whatever it takes to get it. We will hurt all those whom you love, Tessamine. Be very careful.

Tessa went pale, and the expression on her face said it all. She quickly got up and ran from the room, dropping the letter. Megan went over and retrieved the letter, before handing it to Jess. He could see why she was so upset. Jess cursed. "Who the hell is after her now?" he said, passing the note to Dan. Dan had to agree with Jess.

Tessa ran. She ran and ran to her room, slamming the door shut. She fell onto the bed and curled herself into a little ball, before silently sobbing into her pillow.

A few hours later, there was a knock at the door. The door opened and closed silently, and Tessa wondered who it was. When the person sat down on the bed, Tessa saw that it was Jess who had come in. She buried her head further into the pillow. "Oh, Tess." Jess said softly. "We read the note." Tessa said a muffled reply. "Pardon?" Jess said. Tessa pulled her head from the pillow. "Worthless bastards." She said before she buried her head again. Jess laughed. "I can't say I disagree with you." He replied. Tessa sat up and hugged her knees. "But why my pendant? Why not get a different Adamas pendant like mine? It doesn't make sense." She said. "Unfortunately, we agree." Jess said. He swung his legs over the side and lay down. "But who is it now?" Tessa wondered aloud. "Luke, Samuel, their henchmen, their all dead, so who else could be after me?" "Their master." Jess replied. Tessa turned her head to Jess. "What?" she said. "Whoever they were obeying. If you had stayed, than they would probably have handed you over to their master, the one who really wants that pendant." "Oh god, it's so confusing." Tessa muttered in reply, exhausted. She flopped back down onto the pillow. Jess looped a strand of her hair around his finger and playfully tugged at it. "Whoever it is, Tess, you'll kill them." Jess said. Tessa let out a short laugh "And how do suppose I do that?" she asked. "With this." Jess said, gently tugging at the pendant. "How does that work? So far I've only killed Demons, not people with the pendant." Tessa rolled her eyes and looked at him. "You'll think of something. You always do." He answered, still gently tugging at her hair. Tessa reached behind her bedhead and pulled out a sketchbook. "This is my actual sketchbook. The other one is full of practice drawings." She said, and handed the book to Jess. Jess grinned and uncurled Tessa's hair from his finger, before flicking through the book. "It's not fair. You're good at everything!" Jess mock-scowled. "Not quite." Tessa answered, laughing. She turned over so she was facing Jess. "Tess." Jess said. "Yes?" she answered. "Since the first time you were trapped in the house, have you ever thought about it?" Jess asked. Tessa paused. "Yes." She said slowly. "I have. It's like reliving a nightmare." She said. "Sorry to bring it up." Jess added, almost as an afterthought. "Don't be." Tessa said. "Fair enough." Jess smiled. "And, Tess?" Jess asked. "Yes?" She answered, looking at him. "What do you think that note meant?" Jess asked. Tessa sighed. "I have no idea." She answered, before Jess pulled her toward him, and gently kissed her.

Jess gently prodded Tessa awake. "Hmm?" she mumbled, fluttering her eyes open. The sunlight was streaming through the window, and Jess was standing over her. His face was grim. "We just received another note." He said, and Tessa jumped up, and pulled on her boots, stopping only to grab a hairbrush from her dresser. They both walked in silence, broken only by Tessa's hairbrush combing out her matted hair. When they walked in the library, they found Megan, her face pale, reading another note.

Give her to us. Weren't we clear enough last time? If you don't, we will destroy the institute.

Tessa's eyes widened as she read the note, and her face paled. "N-now what do we do?" she said in bewilderment. "We don't know." Megan said. Suddenly, Tessa's phone rang. She pulled it out and frowned at the screen. Unknown number said the screen. She pressed answer, and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?" she said. "Hello, Tessamine. Enjoying your little 'vacation'?" A voice hissed. Tessa pressed speakerphone, before answering. "Who is this?" she asked. "Do you really need to know?" the voice answered, and Jess's face paled considerably. "Give us your pendant." The voice hissed. "Give it to us." The voice added, before the call went dead. Tessa slid to the ground.


	14. Betrayal

Tessa woke on the cold marble floor, her heart beating in her ears. She flicked her eyes upward and saw Jess and Megan kneeling down beside her, their faces bent over her. Both their faces were a look of concern. Tessa tried to stand up, but slid to the floor again. "Déjà vu." She muttered, as Jess helped her to her feet. Despite himself, he grinned. "Are you alright?" Jess asked. Tessa nodded, and collapsed into the chair Megan had brought over. She rubbed her temples. "Oh crap." She said. Jess grinned. "Yep, definitely feeling better." He said teasingly, and Tessa hit him lightly on the shoulder. Megan brought her phone over. "I managed to record the voice. Sophie is trying to figure out whose voice it is now." She said, before handing the phone back to Tessa. Tessa took it and placed it on the table. Suddenly, her arm started to throb. She looked down in surprise and saw there was a deep scratch on the inside of her lower arm. She gently touched her finger to it and winced. Just then, Sophie came running. Her face was pale, and she was trembling. "Miss, we know who it is." She said, gasping for breath. Megan motioned for her to continue. "It's Crystal's father." She said, and Tessa's vision gave way to darkness.

Tessa's whole body ached. The one thing she realized before she opened her eyes was that she was lying on a bed, not in a chair. She opened her eyes and tried to pull herself upward, and then a hand was gently forcing her back down again. It was Jess. "You hit your head. It will hurt quite a lot if you try to sit up too quickly." He said. "You've been out cold for 2 days." He added. "Oh, crap." Tessa said. Jess smiled "You're feeling chirpy!" Jess teased. Tessa threw a pillow at him. He laughed and threw it back. Tessa sat up and felt fine. She arched an eyebrow at Jess, who shrugged. "Don't look at me." Jess said. Tessa stood up gingerly. She walked to the bathroom door and back, before walking to the door. "Coming?" she turned to Jess, before walking out the door.

Tessa and Jess were halfway down the corridor to the library when Tessa's phone rang again. She ignored it this time. When they got to the library, they saw a panicked Megan. "Alicia is gone." She said before they could ask. "Nothing. Haven't heard from her. She won't pick up her phone." Just then, Tessa's phone rang again. She put it on speakerphone just as Dan came in the room. "Hello?" Tessa said. "Tessamine? Oh, thank god." Alicia's voice floated down the line. Dan came over and plucked the phone out of Tessa's hand. "Mum?" Dan said. "Dan?! I'm in Paris. I- Hello, Daniel Moore. I didn't quite expect you to be on the other end of the line." A voice interrupted Alicia. Tessa's stomach dropped. "Christopher." Dan whispered. Jess must have seen Tessa's face. "Crystal's Dad." Jess whispered in Tessa's ear. Tessa's eyes widened. "Well, Crystal? Don't you have anything to say to the people you have betrayed?" Christopher said. "Worthless pieces of-" Crystal was interrupted by Dan. "Crystal! How could you?!" he practically shouted into the phone. "Easy. You never trusted me. Never picked me to fight with you." Crystal spat. "Now, now children." Christopher said, chuckling. "Daniel, can you please pass me to your sister?" Dan wordlessly handed the phone to Tessa. "What have you done?" Tessa's voice trembled down the phone. "Nothing. If you give us your pendant, we will let your mother go. Simple." Tessa held her hand over the receiver. "We could. I could get another-" "No way." Jess said, plucking the phone out of Tessa's hands, before hitting end call, and dropping the phone lightly on the table. "No way." Jess repeated. "Your one is special. It protects your life. If you had an ordinary one before, you would have been dead dozens of times." Jess said. It was obvious that Dan and Megan agreed with Jess. "Well then, how do we get her back?" Tessa voiced the unspoken question between them all. "Track the call. Apparently they are in Paris somewhere." Jess said. "Well." Tessa said thoughtfully. "If you can give me a map of Paris and the location of the cell phone tower, then I can help." She said. Everyone stared at her. "I did live there, or have you forgotten?" Tessa said defensively. Slowly, Dan nodded. He tore a map from the wall and set it down on the table, before going to see Sophie, to ask if she could track the cell phone tower for them. "Sophie seems to know her stuff when it comes to technology." Tessa said. Jess smiled. "She is rather smart, I have to admit." He said. Just then, Dan came in, grabbed the map, and walked away. "By the Angel-" Jess said, before Dan came in again. He laid the map on the table. "Well?" he asked. Tessa found the location of the tower, and felt the air in her lungs escape. "What?" Jess said. "That's Rue Rene Boyer!" Tessa gasped. "That's the street where I used to live!"


	15. Grim News

Everyone started talking at once. Megan held up her hand for silence. "Dan, go and ask Sophie if she can get the exact location, possibly the address." Megan barked, and Dan took the map before slipping out of the room. Tessa sank into the nearest chair. "But why-" "I know." Jess's voice sounded grim. "Christopher and Crystal chose that place for a reason. They want to hurt you, make it close to home." Jess knelt down beside Tessa. Tessa muffled something under her breath. "Pardon?" Jess asked. "But, no one knew where I lived. I haven't told anyone! So how did they figure that out?" Tessa said. "We will need to go there." Jess said. "I can help with directions." Tessa looked up. "I speak 8 languages fluently, including French." Tessa said. Jess's eyes widened. "What languages?" he asked. "Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Brazilian, Russian, German, and Ukrainian." Tessa listed. "Wow." Jess said. Suddenly, Dan came in. "Number 447 Rue Rene Boyer." Dan said. Tessa's face paled. "What?" Jess said worriedly. Tessa grabbed the map and looked at the new mark. "No. That's impossible-" "What is it, Tess?" Jess asked. Tessa looked up at him. "That's my old house." Tessa said, and silence fell upon the room.

Tessa put her head in her hands. Dan and Jess looked at her pitifully. "Oh, Tessa." Dan said, and knelt on the other side of Tessa's chair. Tessa looked up, salty tears spilling down her cheeks. "B-But why-" Tessa said, and looked down at the map again. Water dripped off her long eyelashes, splashing down onto the map. "But-" "Somehow they found out. And your mother is there right now." Jess said in a low voice, looking at both Tessa and Dan. "We'll portal tomorrow." Jess said. Dan nodded wordlessly and went out of the library, soon followed by Megan. "Go get some sleep, Tess. You'll need it for tomorrow." Jess said gently. "I-" Tessa's sentence broke off in a sob. Jess gently pulled her to her feet. Tessa wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Oh, Tess." Jess pulled her toward him, clutching her tightly. "You need to sleep." He said softly into her ear. Tessa nodded slightly. Jess led her to her door. Jess left her at her door, before walking down the corridor to his own room. Tessa opened the door and shut it again silently. She fell onto the bed, and fell asleep quickly.

she looked up toward her house. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, and saw the floor was painted in blood. Running up the stairs, she ran into the kitchen, and found everything torn apart. Each room had been upturned. Finally Tessa reached her room. She opened the door and screamed. There was Alicia, lying dead on the floor. There was 'now you will do what I ask.' Painted in blood on the wall.

Jess shook Tessa awake. "Tessa. Wake up!" he said. Tessa opened her eyelids fast, and looked around, her heart racing. She was in her room, and Jess was looking worriedly at her. She was tangled up in the sheets, and her nightmare came flooding back. She buried her head in her pillow. "Are you alright?" Jess asked, alarmed. Tessa just nodded. "You were screaming." Jess said. Tessa's cheeks flushed a dark red. "It's around 7 in the morning." Jess observed. Tessa turned over. "Meet me in the Music room." Jess called as he walked to the door. She nodded before he walked out and closed the door silently behind him. Tessa had a quick shower and got dressed into her usual attire, before straightening her hair so is was dead-straight, and tying it up into a high ponytail. When she got to the Music room she found Jess seated on the lid of the sleek black grand piano, swinging his legs. "Oi!" Tessa said, and shoved him off. He laughed. "Are you alright with going to Paris today?" he asked. "Je ne sais pas. Mais Ce que je sais, c'est que je veux aller chercher ma mère." Tessa said. Jess smiled. "I do know what that means." He said. Tessa laughed. "Eh bien, il doit y avoir une partie du cerveau sous votre crâne!" Tessa giggled. "Vous êtes si méchant! Je ne pas complètement stupide, vous savez!" Jess laughed. "Êtes-vous sûr?" Tessa said. Jess laughed. "Oui." He answered. They walked down to breakfast, before meeting Lauren, Sophie, Megan, and Dan in the library. They had created a Portal. Megan and Dan went through first, followed by Tessa and Jess. Next came Sophie and Lauren. When they opened their eyes, they found they were in Rue Rene Boyer already. They followed Tessa to the address. Tessa rapped on the door loudly. She quickly took off her pendant and handed it to Jess, who then handed it to Dan, who looped it around the handle of the seraph blade he was holding, and put his hand over it. When Christopher answered the door, his eyes widened with shock. Suddenly, he grabbed Tessa, and threw her inside. She landed on someone, and to her great surprise she saw that she had landed on Alicia. She quickly stood up. There was chaos! Everyone was fighting. Suddenly, Christopher grabbed Tessa. She un-coiled a sliver snake whip she had found in the Training room from around her arm, and lashed at Christopher. He fell to the ground, letting her go, and long cuts appeared along his torso, arms, and legs. All of a sudden, Crystal was in front of him, shielding him as well as checking on him. Dan grabbed her arms and pulled her away. Tears poured down Crystal's face as Jess nodded at Tessa, who then, with a flick of her wrist, secured the whip tightly around his torso. Jess joined Tessa, and he spat something at Christopher, before Tessa yanked on the whip, and cut through the flesh and bone of Christopher's torso. He suddenly screamed, before there was silence. Tessa cleaned the whip of any blood, before wrapping it around her wrist like a cuff bracelet. Megan, Sophie and Lauren took care of Christopher's body, while Jess led Crystal outside, and Tessa and Dan raced over to Alicia. Dan carried Alicia outside, Tessa following behind him, and Megan coming out last. They quickly created another Portal and Portaled back, before leading Crystal to her room and locking all the windows and doors, as well as securing her to her bed. Dan and Megan took Alicia to the Infirmary, and Jess and Tessa were alone in the foyer. "I'm going to go for a walk." Tessa said abruptly, and raced outside. Jess ran after her, before cornering her in the alley. Tessa slid down a wall and turned her head up to the sky, which was starting to rain soft drops of water onto the ground. Within seconds she was soaking, and cold, but she didn't care. Jess pulled her to her feet, and she reluctantly didn't protest. Tessa turned to run, but Jess was quicker, and he grabbed her arms tightly, turning her to face him. "You were amazing with that whip." He said softly. "Just-Just seeing my house again-" Tessa's voice cracked, and tears spilled down her face. Jess kissed her then, gently, and Tessa kissed him back, twining her arms around his neck. He slid his hands into her hair, and the gentle kiss turned into a fierce one. He pulled her toward him, almost as if he wanted to crush her into him. Tessa didn't protest, just kissed him harder. It was pouring down now, but neither of them seemed to notice. They pulled apart, gasping, before looking at each other, and running out of the alley and down the street, and into a café. They ordered coffee, before Tessa laid her head down on the table, pretending to be fast asleep. Jess laughed, and Tessa giggled too. When the waitress brought their coffees, they both slurped them gratefully. Tessa soon saw that the other occupants of the café were Downworlders of some sort, or other Shadowhunters. Tessa set her mug down and looked at the whip for a few moments, before picking up her mug and gulping it down again. Jess laughed. "Sometimes it hard to know who you really are." Jess said. Tessa paused. "I'm me."


	16. Drawing and Designing

It was dark by the time they got back to the Institute. Dan suddenly came in, his face creased with worry. "What's wrong, Dan?" Tessa asked. "Come." He said, and Tessa followed him to the Infirmary. Tessa stood outside the door. "Tessa, come on." Dan said. "No." Tessa said. "Come!" Dan tugged at her sleeve. Tessa didn't move. "No." she said again. "Tessa! What the hell is wrong with you?" Dan said, furious. "I-I can't." Tessa faltered. "When will you think about something else but yourself?" Dan shouted at Tessa. Her eyes welled up with tears. "When will you realize that it's not always all about you!?" Dan yelled. Tessa flinched away from him, ashen. She covered her mouth with her hand, and ran down the corridor. Dan stared helplessly down the corridor, as Jess walked around the corner. "Hey, where'd she go?" He asked. Dan pointed in the direction Tessa had gone. Jess sighed. "Seriously?!" he said, before walking down the corridor after Tessa. He found her in the Drawing Room, sitting on the couch in front of the fire. She looked up as he came in, but said nothing. He sat down next to her. "Oh, Tess." He said. "What happened?" he asked gently. "H-he was angry because I couldn't go into the Infirmary. He said that I only think about myself, and-and-"Tessa's voice cracked, and she turned away from him, and faced the fire. The fire reflected in her Golden eyes, and it looked as though her eyes were alive. "Why couldn't you go in?" Jess asked. "B-because. I don't want to see her like that. All bruised and hurt." Tessa said. Jess put his arm around her and pulled her toward him. "You know he didn't mean it." He said softly. "But he did. You didn't see the look on his face. Hear his voice." Tessa said quietly. "I know him. He's my parabatai. I've known him forever. He wouldn't mean that." Jess said. Tessa kept staring at the blazing fire. He sighed. "He's still your brother." Jess said. Tessa whipped her head around. "No he isn't!" she shouted. "Whether he is my brother through blood or not, he is not my brother!" She jumped up and ran out. Jess sighed. How can you help someone, when they don't want help? He wondered to himself as he watched the door swing violently on its hinges.

The next day, Jess woke up to the sound of the piano drifting through the walls. He knew instantly it was Tessa. No one else can play that good. He thought, as he padded out the door and into the Music room. "Hey." He said. Tessa missed a couple notes, and looked up in surprise. "Hi." She said tonelessly, and continued playing until the end of the song. "Sorry about the way I reacted last night." Tessa said quietly. "You were just trying to help." Jess sat down next to her. "Don't worry about it. What are you doing up so early?" he asked gently."Couldn't sleep." Tessa admitted, and she ran her finger down one of the keys. "Don't blame you." Jess said. "Why do you hate Dan so much?" Jess asked. Tessa sighed. "I don't hate him. He just seems to think of me like I'm some sort of parasite." Tessa answered. Jess sighed. "No he doesn't." "He sure seems to act that way." Tessa shot back. Jess sighed again. "It's not going to get you anywhere." Jess said gently. Tessa rolled her eyes. She went to get up but Jess grabbed her arm and yanked her down again. "Listen. Just listen to me." Jess said. Tessa gasped in pain. Jess's grip was strong. Really strong. He loosened his grip slightly so he wasn't hurting her. "Listen. You need to talk to him." Jess said. Tessa's face went pale. "After last night-" Tessa began, but Jess interrupted her. "By the Angel, Tessa! You're so stubborn." Jess said angrily. Tessa's eye's widened. She managed to yank her arm free and she tore up the stairs, and yanked open the doors, running out into the corridor. The door slammed behind her. Jess glowered after her. She can be so gentle. Thought Jess. But she's still as sharp as a knife. He closed the lid of the piano and walked up the stairs and out of the room.

Dan was on his laptop when there was a loud knock on his door. He looked through the peephole and saw Tessa, her long red hair escaping the two braids she had tied them up in. He opened the door. "What do you want? Having another crisis?" Dan glowered darkly. He went to close the door, and quickly Tessa shot her arm out and stopped the door from closing. "Dan! Just listen for a minute, will you?" Her voice rose a few octaves. "I'll knock you over if I have to." She said. Dan rolled his eyes and stepped aside, letting Tessa past. He turned to her, arm folded, looking furious. "I wanted to explain why I couldn't go in last night." Tessa said breathlessly. Dan's eyebrows shot up. "I don't want to see her looking hurt. It's my fault in the first place." Tessa said. "It wasn't your fault." Dan said. "I mean, like, up to the same day you found me. If I hadn't gotten on to that boat-" "If you hadn't gotten on to that boat, you would never have known Mum, or me. Or Megan, Jess, Sophie, Lauren, Cry-" Dan broke off abruptly. "Exactly. I would have never known Samuel, or Christopher, which means that Crystal would never have betrayed you all." Tessa said. "Maybe, but then I would still be cowering away from danger." Dan said quietly. Tessa stared at him. "I always felt like I was leaving Jess to get bloodied and bruised." Dan said. "But, Tessa, I shouldn't have said what I said last night." Dan said quietly. Tessa sighed. "You had every right to." Tessa said, surprising Dan. "You had every right to be mad at me." Tessa said quietly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You're my sister. You didn't deserve that." Dan said. "I did." Tessa said. "I should have gone in with you. If we swapped places, I would have been as mad, if not madder." Tessa said. "Well, if you say so." Dan said. "I do." Tessa said firmly. She walked to the door.

When Dan went into the Infirmary, he was surprised to see Tessa sitting at the end of the bed, her feet up against the footrest, drawing in her sketchpad. She looked up, almost as if sensing he was there, and smiled. Dan grinned and walked over. "Got your confidence back, I gather?" Dan teased. Tessa hit him lightly in the head with her pencil, laughing. A few minutes later, Dan was watching Tessa intently as she sketched. Jess walked in and smiled to himself. Tessa looked up then, and he raised his eyebrows. Tessa caught his look and giggled. Jess joined them by Alicia's bed. "Any progress?" he asked. Tessa sighed. "Not really. In and out of consciousness, not really even opening her eyes." Dan said for Tessa. Jess noticed Tessa bent over her sketchpad a bit more and seemed to fascinate herself drawing a line. Poor Tess. He thought. Only just meeting her mother and then this. Tessa snapped her sketchbook closed. "I'll be back later." She said, and walked out with her sketchbook. Jess rolled his eyes and stayed with Dan for a while, before deciding to leave himself. He decided to go to the library, and found Tessa sitting at a table, staring intently at one of the stained-glass windows, every so often sketching something in her sketchbook. "Hey." He said, and she turned startled, and the sketchbook dropped into her lap. "Hi." Tessa said, placing the Sketchbook back on the table. "What are you drawing?" he asked. Tessa handed him the book. She was drawing the Stained-glass window. "Nice." Jess said. He gave back the sketchbook. "I'm guessing you talked to Dan." Jess said. Tessa nodded slightly, and Jess could tell she didn't want to talk about it. He decided not to question any further. "Hey, Tess?" He asked. "Yes?" she said, looking up at him. He hesitated. "Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you'd grown up with Alicia and Dan?" he asked. Tessa paused, halfway through a line. "Not really." She said carefully, continuing her line. He sat down next to her. He studied her while she drew. Her hair hung partly over her face, like a red curtain. She flicked it back, and Jess could tell she was getting frustrated with her drawing. Her eyes were the luminous gold of the afternoon sun rays, and was partially masked by a shadow of black eyelashes. Her face was pale but tanned, rather slim but not bony, and she had high cheekbones. She then tied her hair up with a messy bun, her pencil in her mouth, before taking the pencil once again and continuing drawing. She sighed, before flipping to a new page. She started drawing the whip that was still wound around her wrist. She gently un-raveled it and then coiled it into a tight circle in front of her on the table, and started drawing it with immense detail. When she finished it, she smiled triumphantly. She slid it over to Jess. "It's really good." Jess said, before sliding it back over to Tessa. She smiled gratefully. Dan came in then. "Hey, are you guy's hungry? I ordered chicken noodles from the takeaway place downtown. Want some?" he said. Tessa's eyes lit up. "I'm starving!" she said, before bounding up the stairs. "In the kitchen." Dan said, laughing, and Tessa grinned before racing out the door. Jess chuckled. "Hey, Jess?" Dan asked. "Yeah?" he asked. "How would you describe Tessa?" he asked. Jess paused. "Feisty." Jess said, before running up the stairs and heading toward the kitchen.

Tessa was leaning against the bench in the kitchen eating noodles from a box when Jess walked in. she was using chopsticks like a pro, he noticed. "Where'd you learn to use chopsticks?" Jess asked, picking up a box of noodles and a pair of chopsticks himself. Tessa cleared her throat. "I lived in Japan for two years when I was 6-7 or so." She answered, before eating again. Dan came in. He grabbed a box, and he also raised his eyebrows at how well Tessa could use chopsticks. They ate in silence, the reverie only broken when they were scraping the boxes with their chopsticks to get all the last bits of noodle.

"Hey." Jess said. Tessa spun around. "You startled me." She said. "Sorry." Jess said, joining Tessa as she walked the Music room. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Don't know." Tessa said, and swung the door open. She went and sat down at a table, staring at the wall in front of her, which was lined with instruments. Jess sat down next to her. Even Jess, who was used to reading Tessa's face, found that it was expressionless. "What are Shadowhunters?" Tessa asked abruptly, turning to Jess. He sighed. "Part-angel, part-mundane." He answered. "What's a mundane?" Tessa asked. "An ordinary human." Jess answered. "Right. So-how are you part angel?" Tessa asked, confused. "The Angel Raziel poured his blood into the Mortal Cup, and those mundane warriors who drank from it became half angel, half human." Jess answered. "We have runes that we use in battle, as well." Jess said, gesturing to the tattoo-like swirls that covered his arms and neck, just like Dan, Sophie, Lauren, Megan, etc."Right." Tessa said. "They look cool. What are they meant to do?" She asked.

The next morning, Tessa decided to go to the library. When she got inside, she saw Jess, lying on a couch reading. He looked up as she came in. "Hey." He said. "Hi." Tessa said. She went up the stairs to another level of bookshelves and picked a book. She came down the stairs and Jess swung his legs over the couch, so she could sit down. "Thanks." She said, and sat down, drawing out her Sketchpad from her bag, along with a pencil and an eraser. She sighed, flipped to the next clean page, and looked at it, before closing it again with a sigh. "Drawing emergency?" Jess teased. Tessa poked her tongue out at him. He laughed. He reached up and grabbed a book from a shelf. "Try drawing one of these." He suggested, gently throwing the book to Tessa, who caught it neatly. She flipped to the first page, and saw that they were runes. She kept flicking through, before staring at a page filled with nearly every single rune. She opened her sketchbook, and drew.

When she finished, she almost gasped. The rune she had drawn wasn't in the book. It was full of swirling lines and patterns. Jess stared, wide-eyed. "Tessa." He said. "What rune is that?" he asked. Tessa looked down at the book. "I-I don't know." Tessa said. Jess took the Sketchpad and stared at the rune. "Come on." He said, standing up. "We've got to show Megan."


	17. You Shouldn't be able to do that

They found that Megan had come in and was writing a letter. She looked up as they said her name. "What do you need to show me?" she asked. They walked over to her desk, and Tessa placed the sketchbook on the desk in front of Megan. Her eye's widened. "What rune is that, Tessa? Jess?" she asked. "We don't know." He said. Megan's eyes widened even more. "Get the Gray Book." She said, and Jess went over to a bookshelf before pulling out a book. "But it's not Gray. It's Green." She said. Jess laughed. "It's short for Gramarye. It means Magic, hidden wisdom." He said, handing the book down to Megan. She flipped through it, but couldn't find a rune like the one Tessa had drawn. "It's not in the book." Megan said. "But all runes come from the book!" Jess said. Megan looked at Tessa. "Which rune is it, do you think?" Megan asked. Tessa stared thoughtfully. "Remembrance." She said. "It's definitely a rune." Megan said. "But, does it work?" she asked. Tessa shrugged. Just then, Dan came in. They explained, and Dan offered to take the rune. Jess pulled a metal wand-type thing from his belt, and saw Tessa's look. "A Stele. We use it to apply runes." He said. Tessa nodded slowly. "Do you want to do it?" he asked. Tessa stepped back. Jess's mouth twitched. He looked down at the sketchbook, before slowly drawing the rune onto Dan's arm. Black, jagged lines, like char, came from the tip of the stele, and Tessa watched with fascination. When he was done, she slid the stele back into his pocket. "Can you remember anything when you were, say, three?" Megan asked. Dan answered, and Megan and Jess had surprised looks. "It works." Jess announced. "How did you do that?" Dan asked, amazed, turning to Tessa. Tessa just shrugged. "Try another one." Jess said. "I need a word first, something to create the rune for." Tess said. "How about a broken rune?" Jess said. Three heads swiveled toward him. "A what rune?" Dan asked. "A broken rune. You know, to break things. A rune not applied to us, of course. Just things, like doors if they are locked." Jess explained. "But we have opening runes." Megan said. "But sometimes there is magic holding the doors back. If it was a breaking rune, then it would also break the magic holding it, so it would open, whereas a normal opening rune can't get through magic." Jess said. "He has a point." Tessa said thoughtfully. "Alright." She said, and she sat down, picked up her sketchpad and pencil, and flipped to a clean page. Just like always when she drew, the world fell away, only her, the sketchpad, and the pencil remaining. As she was drawing, she realized she was whispering "Break, Break, Break" under her breath. She drew swirling lines and angles, curves and points. When she finished, she drew back, gasping. Dan, Megan, and Jess stared. "What should we break?" Jess said eagerly. "How about that vase. I always regretted buying it." Megan said, pointing to a green and white vase in the corner. Dan bought it over and Jess traced the rune onto the vase using his stele. Suddenly, cracked appeared in the vase, and it exploded.

They ducked fast, and narrowly avoided being hit by shards of glass. Jess smiled sheepishly. "Oops. Maybe we should have ducked quicker." He said, as people pulled small shards out of their hair. "At least it worked." He added. "By the Angel, how can Tessa create new runes?" Megan said. Tessa shrugged.

A few days later, Alicia was able to leave the infirmary, as she had almost completely healed. She announced she was leaving the Clave after she came out. Before she left, she went and found Tessa in her room. She handed her something. It was a crystal stele, and whenever Alicia or Tessa gripped it tightly, it would glow a bright blue light. It had a silver snake wound around it, and Alicia said that the whip that Tessa had found in the library was in fact hers. After Alicia had left, Tessa, Dan, and Jess walked down to the café to order some coffee. They went to a Shadowhunter/Downworlder only café, and then went back to the Institute. Dan and Jess went to their rooms, and Tessa went to the Music room. She sat down and played a piece that sounded very melodic and very peaceful. "Hey." Jess said, walking down the Music room steps. Tessa jumped, startled, before a blush crept up her neck. "You gave me a fright." She said. Jess grinned. "Sorry." He said. He noticed the stele poking out from the top hem of Tessa's thigh-high boots. "Nice stele." He said. "It was Alicia's. She's leaving the Clave, so she gave it to me." Tessa answered. Jess sat down next to Tessa, and played the piece she had just played. Tessa's eyes widened. "You're not the only one who can play Piano." Jess laughed. "I never said I was." Tessa said defensively, before dissolving into giggles. Jess laughed too. "Drawn any more runes?" he asked slyly. Tessa blushed. "I haven't really draw anything lately." She confessed. "Try to draw another rune." Jess asked. Tessa stared at him in astonishment. She pulled her Sketchbook and pencil from her bag and set it down on the piano lid. "What rune should it be?" she asked. "Waking rune?" Jess suggested. Tessa's eyes lit up to a fiery golden flame. She quickly flipped to a page and began drawing. When she finished, she gasped. It was filled with twining and curlicuing angles and swirls. Jess gave her a sly smile. "Who's asleep?"

They walked down to Sophie's room and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so they crept inside. Sophie was lying on her bed, fast asleep. Jess nodded toward her, so Tessa walked over to the side of the bed and drew out her stele. She gently turned Sophie over and touched the tip of the stele to Sophie's shoulder blade. She danced the stele over Sophie's shoulder until the rune was finished, and sat back. Sophie slowly fluttered her eyes open and stared at Jess and Tessa. "What?" Sophie asked. Jess left and got Megan, before showing both Sophie and Megan the rune. The next morning, Jess came in and knocked on the door. "Hey." He said. Tessa smiled sleepily at him and he sat down on the end of Tessa's bed. She sat up, and shielded her eyes from the sun. "Morning." She said. "Why did you wake me so early?" She asked. "Can I ask you something?" Jess asked. "Yeah, sure." Tessa asked. "What do you think of all this?" Jess asked. Tessa paused. "I don't know." She said slowly. "It's confusing, I guess. But that's to be expected." She laughed. "But it's also very calming at the same time, in a way." She said. "Fair enough." Jess answered. "Why?" Tessa asked, puzzled. "Just curious." Jess said before going out the door. Tessa stared after him.


	18. Personality Switch

"Where are we going?" Tessa asked as she and Jess walked down the corridor toward the front door. They stepped outside and walked down the path. "I don't actually know." Jess said. They both laughed. They walked around New York for a while before they found themselves walking down by the East River. Tessa shivered. Although she had changed into mostly her usual ensemble, she was wearing a one-sleeved top, and the sleeve wasn't very long, so she was freezing. "Are you cold?" Jess asked. "Aren't you?" Jess shook his head. "Here." He handed her his jacket. "Thanks." Tessa said gratefully, shrugging the jacket on. They went into a café and were grateful for the shelter from the wind. It was a bitter wind coming off of the river, and it was getting late, so it was only getting even colder. They ordered hot mugs of coffee before they sat down at a window booth, and they stared outside at the miserable weather. "Tessa." Jess said quietly. She turned to him. "Yeah?" she asked. "How are you so resilient?" He asked. Tessa stared at him incredulously. "Pardon?" she asked. "How are you so resilient?" Jess repeated. "After Samuel, Luke, Christopher, demon attacks. I know you have your pendant, but how do you manage to pull yourself through?" Tessa paused. "Why?" she asked. "I'm just wondering." He said in response. Tessa stared out the window thoughtfully. "I don't know." She said at last. "How could I?" she said. "Well, you seem to get through a lot." There was an edge to Jess's voice. "What is this about?" she asked Jess sharply. "What makes you think it's about anything?" he asked. "Well, they fact that you seem determined not to believe me is pretty much a dead give-away." She said sarcastically. Jess silenced her with a look. "How are you able to create new runes?" Jess asked. The edge in his voice as sharp as a razor blade. "How the hell would I know?" Tessa was furious. "Why don't you believe me?!" she said. "Because I don't know if I can." Jess said. Tessa had had enough. She got up abruptly, and grabbed Jess's wrist. She pulled him after her through the doors and into an alley. It was raining now, and it was getting dark. "What the hell is going on?!" Tessa exploded. "Tessa shut up!" Jess yelled. Tessa stepped back, nearly tripping over a rubbish bin. Her eyes were wide. "Tessa!" he said as she spun on her heel and went to walk away. He grabbed her wrist, turning her to face him. "Why can't you trust me?!" Tessa cried. Her eyes were welled up with tears. "And why the hell would it matter if I knew how I could create new runes or not?!" she shouted. "Because if you do know how, you will need to be questioned by the Clave, and tried by the sword!" Jess shouted. "I'm trying to help you!" he said. "Well you're doing an absolutely, spectacularly, goddamned horrible job!" Tessa screamed, redoubling her efforts to twist out of Jess's grasp. He only tightened his grip. "Tessa!" Jess said. Tessa turned her gaze toward Jess. "I'm sorry!" he said. "But right now I can't afford to trust you!" "Why the freaking hell not?!" Tessa's eyes were blazing, and a flame of anger was licking through her. "Because mum is making me do this." Jess said. The tone of his voice froze Tessa in place. "Look." Jess sighed. "The Clave aren't very happy with mum at the moment. With all that's been happening, especially around you, and then with these rune powers you have-" Jess let the sentence hang in the air, unfinished. Tessa was staring at him incredulously. "Here's two things we have in common." Jess said. "One, we grew up believing our last name was Frayne. Two, we had no idea afterwards who our parents were. The only difference is that the person I have for a father was evil." Jess said. Tessa stared. "I want to trust you, Tess. And, technically, I do." Jess sighed. "But with all these questions I'm not really allowed to. I do trust you, really, but mum isn't happy with it, to say the least." Tessa was silent for a moment. "Why is the Clave being so hard on her?" Tessa asked. "Samuel, Luke, Christopher, they're all dead!" Tessa said. Jess gave her a thin smile. "That's the thing. We now believe that Christopher was obeying someone as well. And with them all dead we don't have a chance of finding out anything." "How is that her fault?" Tessa said. "I killed one of them. And you killed the other two! It wasn't her who killed them. So, off all the people, the Clave should be annoyed at us, not your mum." Tessa said. Jess sighed. "It's not that simple." "-But." Tessa carried on. "Why is the Clave so outraged at my rune powers?" She asked. "And why the freaking hell do they care?! It's hardly like I'm going to create a rune to harm anyone!" Jess laughed. "That's not their worry. Their question is why you can create these new runes." "And why the freaking hell would they believe that I knew the answer to that?" Tessa demanded. "It's hardly like I chose these powers." Rain was dripping off of them, their clothes were sticking to Jess and Tessa like a second skin. "Trust me Tessa." Jess said in a low voice. "Trust you about what?" Tessa interrupted. "I'm trying to help." Tessa sighed. "I know that now." She said. "Look. I will tell you anything I find out." Jess said. "But mum has said that the Clave have asked to have a meeting with you tomorrow." Tessa stared at him in shock. "I-" Tessa didn't finish her sentence, as Jess kissed her with such a force she nearly gasped, only she kissed him back instead. Tessa went back against the wall, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Why-" Tessa began, but was interrupted by Jess. "I don't know." He said. "I don't know and I don't care." Tessa felt herself smile, despite everything, against his mouth.

The next morning Tessa woke up early. She slid into her usual attire before walking down the corridor to the Training room, taking her sketchbook with her. She spent a couple hours drawing, before she decided to throw some daggers. She had one in her fist when the door opened and Dan came in. she pretended she didn't know he was there, and threw the dagger anyway. "Hey Tessa." Dan said. "Hey." She said, before reaching for another dagger. Dan came over and took the dagger out of her hand. "We need to go. The Clave have asked for a meeting with you." Dan and Tessa walked down the corridor to the library door.

When Tessa got to her room that night, she gladly collapse onto the bed, exhausted. Then there was a knock on the door. She sighed. If only I could get some peace and quiet for once. She thought as she went and opened the door. "Hey." Jess said. Tessa smiled sleepily. "Hi." She said. She let him come in, falling back to collapse onto the bed again. Jess laughed, Tessa soon joining in."How are you feeling?" Jess asked. Tessa stared at him. "Exhausted!" she laughed, burying her head into her pillow. She heard Jess laugh and sit down on the bed. "You're not the only one." Jess said. Tessa spun around so she was lying on her back. She could see what Jess meant. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked as pale as Tessa. "True." Tessa sighed. "How's the investigation about Crystal going?" she asked. "Good, we hope. We believe Crystal may have some answers as to why these people want your pendant specifically, as well as maybe another name we can try to hunt down." Jess gave a small smile. "But nothing conclusive yet." "What do you think they'll do to her when they are finished with her?" Tessa said thoughtfully. Jess was silent for a moment. "I don't know." Tessa could tell he was lying, but didn't question it any further. Tessa yawned. "Want some coffee?" Jess asked, handing her a mug of hot caffeine. Tessa slurped it gratefully, before smiling at Jess from behind her mug as a way to say thanks. Jess smiled. "Well, coffee does help take away the feeling of collapsing in a heap on the floor." He said. Tessa giggled. "True. Trust me, of all people I should know." She said, before slurping down some more. "Why does caffeine have that effect?" Jess mused. "Wait here." Tessa said, setting down her mug, and disappearing out the door. When she came back, she was holding her phone, in its ruby-encrusted, black, iPhone case. "Sorry." Tessa blushed. "I just remembered I left this in the Training room." Jess laughed. "It's fine." He pulled a rock out of his pocket. "Here." Tessa took the stone. It was smooth, and almost translucent. "Um, what is it?" Tessa asked. Then, the stone blazed up with a blinding white light, and Tessa almost fell backwards with the brightness of the light. Jess laughed. "It's a Witchlight." He explained. "Every Shadowhunter should have one." "Okay." Tessa replied, slipping the stone into the back pocket of her jeans. They walked down to the library and sat down on the couch, grabbing a couple books as they went. Suddenly, Megan came in. She looked relieved to see them. "Oh, thank goodness." She said. "What is it?" Jess asked. "Sophie's gone. She was on patrol near a vampire lair and she went out of contact. We have had reports from an informant from a member of the clan that some members brought in a girl." Megan said quickly. Jess jumped up. "We'll go and find her." Jess said. "No. Absolutely not." Megan said firmly. "Not just me!" Jess laughed. "Tessa and Dan will come." "No. You are not taking Tessa." "I have my whip." Tessa said rising to her feet. Megan hesitated. "Fine. But you are both taking Dan with you." She said. Jess nodded. Tessa and Jess went and found Dan in his room, before Dan and Jess led Tessa down beneath the ground and into a weapons room. Jess handed Tessa a few seraph blades, and some daggers, while Dan and Jess got ready. They raced back upstairs before leaving the doors. "Where is the closest Vamp nest to Sophie's patrol?" Jess asked Dan. "The old Hotel Aroma." Dan answered, and they walked to the Hotel. "Nice place for a group of Bloodsuckers." Tessa muttered. Jess laughed. They went inside a door and took out their Witchlight's, not noticing the vampires watching them from above with amusement. They went up some stairs and found Sophie's stele. They went further up and were led to a small room. Tessa was looking through cracks in a wall when she gasped. "She's here!" she cried. Jess and Dan looked through, seeing exactly what Tessa had seen. Up above them was Sophie, hanging up above the former elevator shaft tied with chains and ropes. The arrow on the dial said 10, so they went up to the tenth floor and found Sophie at their laid a plank over the shaft and Tessa gingerly crossed the plank until she reached Sophie. "She's alive!" Tessa cried, and Dan and Jess joined her in un-chaining Sophie. Sophie quickly regained consciousness. As they were walking downstairs, with Sophie leaning on Tessa, they were cut off by a small group of Vampires. They turned around, and found behind them blocked off, too. "In here!" Dan called, and Dan, Jess, Tessa, and Sophie backed into a Dining room, the Vampires following them. Tessa turned, and saw Vampires behind them as well. "Jess!" she called, and he turned and went pale. Sophie grabbed one of Tessa's seraph blades, and Tessa unfurled her whip from her wrist. Suddenly, the battle was on.

Tessa couldn't believe how adrenaline-pumping battle really was. Just after slicing two vampires apart with her whip, she saw Jess struggling with a bulky vampire who had his arms wrapped around Jess's throat. She went up to the vampire from behind and, with a flick of her wrist, secured her whip around the vampire's throat and yanked it, decapitating it. Jess turned around surprise. She raised her eyebrows and grinned. Then, a giant vampire loomed over them. Suddenly, Sophie was in between the Vampire and Jess and Tessa, a glowing seraph blade in her hand. She sliced at the vampire, and it fell into two, turning to ashes. When most of them had been destroyed, Sophie, Dan, Jess, and Tessa raced to the roof. As Tessa was running, two vampires went after her. She flicked her whip up to the ceiling and onto a giant chandelier, waiting for the vampires to get close, before yanking the chandelier down onto the vampires. They reached the roof and looked out at the sunrise.

When they arrived back at the Institute, they all went immediately to have a shower, while Lauren attended to Sophie. Tessa quickly got dressed into gold jeans, and a red halter neck top before heading to the infirmary to see Sophie. Sophie was lying on a bed, reading a book when Tessa walked in. Sophie looked up from her book, and smiled, before setting the book down. "Hey, Tess." Sophie said. "Hi, Soph. How are you feeling?" Tessa sat down on the bed. "Like I'll never get the asphalt out of my skin." Sophie laughed. Tessa giggled. Just then, Jess came in. "Hey, Sophie, Tess." He said, sitting down in a chair on the other side of the bed. Sophie and Jess talked for a while, and Tessa took the opportunity to leave and go to the Music room.

Tessa was halfway through the Tango Habanera when Jess walked in. He was constantly amazed at Tessa's skills. Jess was standing right in front of Tessa before she noticed he was there. She jumped in surprise, before blushing a dark rhubarb. Jess laughed, tugging on a lock of Tessa's black locks. "Your hair looks better Crimson." Jess said abruptly. "Really?" Tessa asked. "Really." Jess confirmed, before swinging over the piano and slowly lowering himself down next to Tessa. "I was thinking of dying it." Tessa thought aloud, before finishing the Tango Habanera and turning to face Jess. "Don't you need to sleep?" Asked Jess gently. Tessa shook her head slightly. Jess paused, before laughing softly. "This is the most colour you've ever worn." He said. Tessa glanced at the red and gold. "Yeah. I don't really suit colour." She said. Jess stared at her. "Yeah, you do." He said. Tessa smiled. It was a rare smile that lit up her entire face, and lit her blazing eyes to an almost blinding golden flame. "Really?" She asked. Jess grinned and tugged on Tessa's hair. "Really." He confirmed. "Thanks." Tessa said. She stood up. She walked to the door, and walked out into the corridor. She was halfway to her room when she frowned and turned back the way she had came. Her prediction had been correct. The library door was still open. Still frowning, she walked into her room and soundlessly shut the door, picking up a book from her bedside. When Jess walked in, she smiled. "Hey, Shadow." She laughed. Jess grinned, and flopped down onto the bed beside Tessa. Tessa turned her gaze back to the page and frowned, before laughing and placing the book gently on the floor. "I want to read, but I'm too exhausted!" Jess smiled. "I could read to you if you like." Tessa grinned, and reached over and plucked a book from the bedside table. "I like." She confirmed. Jess smiled and picked up David Copperfield.

When Megan walked to Tessa's door and peered in, she smiled to herself. Tessa was lying on her side, facing Jess, her now-re dyed-red hair splayed across the pillow, still slightly damp and slightly bleeding the dye. Jess was lying facing Tessa, reading from a book. Megan silently closed the door behind her, and Jess's soft voice followed her back to the library. "...And cannot watch over him, if that is not too bold a thing to say, as closely as I would. But if any fraud or treachery is practising against him, I hope that simple love and truth will be strong in the end. I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world..."

When Jess finished the book, Tessa smiled. "You make a good narrator." She said. Jess laughed. "Thank you!" Jess brushed Tessa's hair away from her face. "Get some sleep." He whispered. Tessa nodded slightly. Soon she fell into a drifting sleep, and was only aware that Jess lay beside her.

Jess sat up, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He looked down at Tessa and smiled. She looked so...peaceful. He gently shook her awake. "Tessa, wake up." He whispered. Tessa fluttered her eyes open. "Morning." Jess said Tessa glared at him, before she burst out laughing. "It's so hard to be mad at you!" Tessa gasped for air. Jess grinned. "That's a good thing." He said, laughing. Tessa smiled. "Meet me in the library at Ten. I want to ask you something." Tessa said. Jess nodded and left the got into her trademark outfit and straightened her hair before going down to breakfast. She and Megan were the only ones there at the time, so Tessa put her Silver hoop earrings in. After eating the Cook, Rosie, came in looking petrified. He rushed in her explanation. "I found a note in one of the eggs I just gave you." She said, before handing Tessa the note. Take your chances, Tessamine. It read. Tessa furrowed her eyebrows and handed the letter to Jess. Jess looked up. "Cryptic?" He asked. "Really?!" Tessa laughed. "I guess so." Tessa shared a look with Jess.

When they meet in the library, the immediate topic in question was the note. They muse over the cryptic message for a while. "What on earth could it possibly mean?" She asks. Jess shrugs his shoulders. Tessa collapses onto the couch. "Maybe we should just give them my pendant. We don't even know why it is so important." Jess started. "No. No way. Not happening." "But Jess!" Tessa protests. "I know you said how I need it to protect myself, but if I give it to them then I won't need to protect myself will I?" Jess had to admit she had a point. "Maybe." Jess said. "But it may have other things it can do. We just haven't found out yet." Tessa sighed and lay down, resting her head on the arm of the sofa. Jess sat down next to her. "I'm just sick and tired of being hunted." Tessa sighs.

That afternoon, Tessa goes for a walk to grab some cheese. As she turns a corner, she is suddenly shoved into an alley, before a black bag is placed over her head. She smells something sickly sweet, and she is soon lost in a tumbling black abyss.

When Tessa wakes, she finds she is lying on a bed, her wrists and feet bound to the corners of the bed. She struggles and yelps, but she cannot get free. "I wouldn't try. It will just cause you pain and besides, where would you go?" Says a voice from a small doorway. A man steps into the light. He has Jet Black hair like Dan's, and looks similar to dan. He has the same eyes and facial features as Tessa, though. "W-who are you?" Tessa stutters. The man smiles a terrible smile, "I am your Father."

A few hours later, once The man has explained about himself to Tessa, he asks for her pendant. "I-I don't have it." Tessa says. The man's eyes narrow. "Strip search her." He calls to some men standing by the door. "You can keep your underwear on, don't worry." The man reassures Tessa. After she has been searched, The man cuts the ropes and leads Tessa to the middle of the room. He hands her a pair of black wide-pant silk trousers, although he doesn't give her a shirt and she remains in her brassiere. "What is your name?" Tessa asks. "Aaron. Aaron Nightshade." He places another bag over Tessa's head, and binds her hands behind her back with a rune. He picks her up and carries her away.


	19. Nightmares

When Tessa wakes, she is kneeling on the ground. Her wrists are bound to a steel barrel. Suddenly, a sharp pain lances down her back. She screams, and becomes aware of Aaron standing behind her. He laughs, and Tessa sees the whip he holds in his hand. He yanks her hair, pulling her head back. "Where is the pendant!" He yells "I don't know!" Tessa screams, and Aaron let's go of her hair suddenly, causing Tessa's head to bounce off of the barrel.

6 days later, the door comes crashing open, although Aaron keeps on whipping her. Tessa turns her head and sees Jess, Dan, Sophie, Lauren, Tyler, and Megan standing there. Sophie's own golden whip snaked out and to Aaron, who was reeled in and away into another room. Several hands came over to Tessa and unchained her arms. Tessa slumps to the floor, aching, when suddenly Lauren and Dan are shoved out of the way. The person-one of Aaron's henchmen-kicks Tessa in the stomach, sending her sprawling. She yelps and tried to sit up, but he kicks her again, and she lands in a pile of hay. Tessa falls unconscious while Lauren, Dan, and Jess fight the man and his buddies.

Tessa wakes to several faces glancing down anxiously at her. She's still in the pile of hay. When she tries to sit up, she immediately fails, and slumps back down again. Jess gently lifts her up and carries her to the door. The last thing Tessa mutters is "Déjà vu."

Tessa comes to in the Infirmary of the Institute. She explains how she was beaten for 6 days and nights no resting, and explains that Aaron is actually her father,along with Dan's. Sophie, Jess, Dan, and Lauren help clean up Tessa's Back, while Sophie also helps with Tessa's hair.

After two days in the infirmary, Tessa is okay to leave. As she is walking along, she takes a detour to the Music room. She finds Jess sitting on the couch, reading. "Hey." Tessa says, coming and sitting beside Jess. "Hello, o' permanent visitor of the Infirmary." Jess laughed. Tessa giggled and lightly slapped the back of Jess's head. "How are you feeling?" Jess asked gently as Tessa winced as she lowers herself onto the couch. "Hmm, how about...Awful!" Tessa answered, laughing. Tessa lay down and rested her head on the arm of the couch and sighed. Jess gently tucked some loose strands of hair behind Tessa's ear. "You feeling alright?" Jess asked. "Yeah." Tessa answered distantly. "You sure?" Jess asks. "Mmhm." Tessa mumbled. "If you say so." Jess answered. Jess doubts her, Tessa can tell rather easily. "I just hope that now Aaron is dead, I won't be hunted anymore." Tessa explained. "So do I." Jess agreed. "But, even if you are still hunted, you'll survive." "How can you be so sure?" Tessa asks. "Well, you've survived how many other attempts to get your pendant?" Tessa laughed. "Fair Point." Tessa agreed. The door opened and Dan walked in. He looks surprised to see Jess and Tessa there. "Hey. What are you doing in here?" He asked and walked over. "Nothing much, really. Tessa came in only a few minutes ago." Jess shrugged. Dan nodded and sat down in the armchair next to the couch. "How are you feeling, Tess?" Dan asked. Tessa shrugged. "Sore." She respond3e. Dan laughed. "You have every reason to." He answers, still laughing. Tessa yawned. "Hey, i'll see you later." Dan says, and leaves. "Well, that was quick." Jess laughed. Tessa smiled. She got up. "I'm so exhausted, i'm going to fall over, so i'm heading to bed." The light was fading fast outside the windows. "Alright." Jess said. "Come with me." Tessa asked quietly. Jess smiled. "Of course."

Tessa sighed and flopped down onto the bed, ripping off her shoes. "These damn boots!" She cried as she struggled with them. "Here. There is actually a zipper." Jess said, and tugged at the zipper, opening the back of the shoe. Tessa laughed and slid of the boot with ease. "Sometimes I'm so completely stupid!" She mockingly sighed, and threw the boots over to the corner of the room. She took off her jacket and shrugged it over the desk chair before sitting down on the bed. Jess joined her. "Hey, are you any good at braids?" Tessa asked Jess. He laughed. "Yeah. I used to do mum's hair all the time when I was little." He said. "Could you braid my hair for me?" Tessa asked. "Sure." Jess said, and Tessa turned around, her hair falling down her back. "Do you want me to do a Katniss braid?" Jess asked as he combed out her hair with his fingers. "A Katniss braid?" Tessa asked. "In the hunger games Katniss has a braid running from the left top of her hair to the right, going diagonally across the back of her head." Jess answered. "Oh yeah, she did too. I love the first Hunger Games movie. Sure." Tessa said, and Jess started on Tessa's Katniss braid.

Jess's fingers weaved quickly through Tessa's hair. He was done in just over 5 minutes. "There. Done." Jess said. "Thanks." Tessa smiled gratefully and leaned her head against the headboard. "now, tell me what's wrong." Jess said and settled himself against the headboard. "Nothing's wrong!" Tessa protested, but she weakened when she realised that there was. "Oh, fine." She sighed, and tilted her head up to the ceiling. "I just don't believe that Aaron is my father. I mean, he's so absolutely, spectacularly out of his goddamned mind." Tessa said. Jess sighed, and Tessa knew that he had guessed that this was the problem. "Oh, Tessa." Jess sighed. "And, why would he beat me like that if he was my father? I mean, who does that?" Tessa said. she broke off and giggled. "Remember when you said that one of the differences we had was that your father was evil?" Tessa asked, turning to face Jess. she saw him nod. "I guess it wasn't really a difference, huh?" she said, curling up into a tight ball. Jess laughed at Tessa and slid down so he was eye level with her. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Jess frowned. Tessa nodded. "It's just that, you look kind of pale." Jess said, Tessa waved away his concern. "I'm fine." she said. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." Jess said, and got up. "Alright." Tessa answered, and Jess disappeared through the door.

Tessa woke up from a nightmare, screaming. she checked her clock and saw that it was 2:17am. Jess slipped through the door. "Are you alright?" Jess asked, rubbing his eyes. Tessa was glad that it was dark so he couldn't see her blush. "It was a nightmare. Sorry i woke you." Tessa said. "Thats alright." Jess said. Jess turned to the door. "Wait, Jess." Tessa said. "Yeah?" Jess turned around. "Will you stay with me?" Tessa asked quietly. Jess could almost feel the pride she had swallowed. "Alright." He answered. he sat down on the bed next to Tessa and swung his legs up. Tessa laid her head on his chest and Jess hugged her tightly. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked. Tessa nodded slowly. "What was your nightmare about?" Jess asked gently. "It-It was me. Drowning in blood. the only sound i could hear was myself screaming, and Aaron laughing." Tessa squeezed her eyes shut and shivered. Jess wrapped his arm around Tessa and drew her close. "You said so yourself. it was only a nightmare." Jess whispered into her ear. Tessa nodded slightly. Jess lifted Tessa's chin and kissed her gently. Tessa kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed for a while, before they broke apart. Tessa gasped for breath. They stared at each other for a few moments, before Jess pulled Tessa towards him, kissing her again.

The next morning, Dan was playing the piano. Megan and Sophie walked in. Sophie and Dan talked for a while, before the trio went outside to walk to breakfast. As they turned the corner, they stood, frozen in place.


	20. Seen

Tessa and Jess were in the hallway. Kissing. Dan heard Megan's lungs let a gasp escape, and Jess and Tessa broke apart, turning to them. Tessa's eyes went immediately to Dan, and he held her gaze. She went to speak, but nothing came out. The corner of Dan's mouth twitched as he tried to hide a smile. Tessa saw, and it seemed like she let out a sigh of relief. As Dan and Sophie walked past, Tessa and Jess's heads swivel to follow their footsteps. When they turned back, Megan was gone. Tessa collapsed against the wall, relieved and worried at the same time, when Jess kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back.

At breakfast that morning, Megan arrived late. Tessa and Sophie and Jess and Dan were sitting in a row as usual, but they were unusually subdued. When Megan walked in, Tessa and Jess avoided Megan's gaze. Lauren and Tyler were trying to figure out what's going on. Tessa left early and stalked out of the hall and down the corridor.

Dan found her in the Music Room, writing some Music on a score. she jumped when he walked down the stairs, before blushing and returning to her score. Her hair fell down like a curtain over her face. As Dan came to her, she picked up her score and her folder and got up from the Piano. "Sorry if i'm in your way." Tessa said and walked to the door. as she was walking out. Dan called to her. "Tessa?" She turned, flicking her hair out of her way. "Yes, Dan?" She called back. "Don't worry about this morning. Megan will get over it." Tessa stared at him, before giving him a curt nod and disappearing behind the large oak doors. Dan stared after her. There's something bothering her. Dan thought.

Tessa fast walked to her room and got changed out of her stiletto's into a pair of knee-high black Chuck Taylor's with white laces. She tied up her hair into high ponytail high up on her head before wrapping a piece of her hair over the headband. she checked out her door before she quickly ran to the stairwell and thumped up the stairs and into the Training Room. she scraped a chair over to the diamond-shaped leadlight window and looked out, sliding another of her sketchbooks out from behind the window sill, from inside of a crack in the wood. she reached up to the railing above the window-which no longer held curtains-and slid her charcoal pencil out of a small ridge. she began sketching the skyline, and then added the ground, roads, cars, and plants of the view of outside.


	21. Stick

Jess was nearly standing right above her before she realised he was there. She jumped in shock, and the sketchpad fell to the floor, her pencil rolling away under a trunk. Tessa groaned and picked up her sketchpad, before going down on her hands and knees and retrieving her pencil. "Are you alright?" Jess asked. "You're quite pale, and you're definitely not eating properly. You're stick thin. What's wrong?" Tessa froze. She slowly stood up and turned to Jess. Her face was so thin and pale, Jess thought she looked like she was dead, a hollow ghost. Tessa slowly walked to Jess and sat down in the chair, leaning forward and placing her fists on the window sill. "You're smart, Jess." Tessa said after a long pause. Jess laughed. "We've all noticed, Tess. Why do you think my mother was late to breakfast? She had noticed you getting thin, and had been researching about leading causes of eating disorders half the night. Tessa, what's wrong?" Jess asked. "And what did Megan find?" Tessa looked up at Jess for the first time since he had been in the room. "Stress, Anxiety, etc." Jess answered. Tessa laughed at that. "That pretty much sums me up right now." She said distantly, staring out the window. "Why is that?" Jess asked. "I'm pretty much permanently hunted!" Tessa looked at Jess. "Everywhere I go, there is somehow someone trying to get my pendant, someone trying to kill me. Wouldn't you be stressed?" Tessa grabbed her sketchbook and slid it back in it's hiding place, and grabbed her charcoal pencil and placed it in it's small home above the window. She stood up and turned to Jess. To her surprize, she saw a flicker of worry in his eyes. "You don't get it. you've never been hunted like this!" Tessa turned to the door. "Tessa!" Jess grabbed Tessa's arm and spun her around to face him. "Have you ever stopped to think that whatever you go through, you take us with you?" He asked. "Wherever, whenever you're in danger, we are too! We may not be the ones hunted, but it doesn't make us any safer!" Tears poured down Tessa's cheeks. "I know! That's why I haven't told anyone!" Tessa cried. "Tessa, I understand that, but we've all been worried sick about you!" Jess said. "That makes me feel worse." Tessa said, and twisted her wrist out of Jess's grasp. She gasped in pain as she ran for the stairs and flew down them, before running toward her room and slamming the door shut.

Tessa crawled out of the bed, trying not to look like she'd been crying. She answered the door and tried to slam it shut again, but his foot was too quick. "Tessa, let me in." Dan said gently. Tessa's face contorted in anger, but she let him through. "I suppose Jess sent you to talk to me." She said icily. "Actually, no. But I do know what happened." Dan said. After a heated argument, he left the room, and encountered Megan, Jess, and Sophie, who were waiting outside. "I wish you luck." He laughed. "She's not in a good mood at all!"

Megan, Sophie and Jess entered the room silently. Tessa had her head buried under the pillows, although they could still hear her screaming into the mattress. Once she was silent, Megan removed the pillows. She went to say something, but said nothing after a glare that Tessa sent her way, which included daggers and lightening bolts. Well, that was what would have happened if it were possible. Sophie sat down next to Tessa. "What is this, National Worry Day or something?" Tessa snapped. "Tessa, shut up for a moment, will you?" Jess shot back. Tessa gave a hollow laugh. "Not a chance." She shot at Jess. "You can't act like this forever." Jess snapped. "Watch me." Tessa snarled. "What is this? A slinging match?" Dan entered the room. "Oh for freaks sake." Tessa sighed and collapsed back on the bed. "National Worry Day!" Tessa sung and stared at the ceiling. "Tessa, I'll tie you down until you listen, you do realise that, don't you?" Jess said and strode across the room. "Yeah, I do, I just don't give a crap." Tessa sighed. "You three, shoo." Sophie said, ushered Megan, Dan, and Jess out of the room. Sophie went back to Tessa and sat down next to her. "Now. Talk."

Two hours later, Tessa had a shower and got dressed into a strapless black-and-white horizontal striped maxi dress. She put on a stiletto version of her Chuck Taylors and walked out of her room. Jess and Dan stared at her in amazement. Tessa smiled sweetly and went skipping down the corridor. "I'm not sure weather I prefer Tessa the Grouch or Tessa the Skipper." Dan said to Jess. Jess laughed and followed Tessa.


	22. Back to Normal

Everyone was chatting and laughing. All the residents of the Institute were in the Drawing Room. The fireplace was lit, sending a warm glow across the room. Tessa was sitting down on the rug in front of the fireplace, legs in front of her, a plate filled with Macaron's on her lap. She put the plate down because she was laughing too hard, because Jess kept on horse biting her. She was sitting sideways on Jess's lap, so she dug her still-bony elbow into his stomach. "Hey!" Jess laughed. Tessa giggled. "Well, thats what you get!" She said, still giggling. She caught Jess trying to steal a Macaron and the look on her face was almost poisonous. "Don't you DARE!" She laughed, slapping Jess's hand. He hastily retreated, mumbling and rubbing his hand. "Oh, Come on!" Tessa teased. "I didn't slap you that hard!" Jess poked his tongue out at her, and she laughed, popping a Macaron in her mouth. "Eating up, eh Tess?" Dan asked. She shot him such a glare he laughed. "Never Mind!" And went off to talk to Sophie. Tessa sighed and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

As she was walking to the Music Room, Jess walked up to her. "Hey" He said. "Hi, Jess." Tessa smiled. "Thank God the real you is back." Jess said. "Sure i'm not going to be too bouncy and annoying?" Tessa teased. Jess laughed. He caught Tessa's waist and pulled her towards him. "Really though, Tessa. We're all glad the real you is back. Probably me more than most." Tessa giggled. "And why would that be?" Jess laughed, and kissed Tessa fiercely. Her lips opened automatically under the pressure, and she was kissing him back. She looped her arms around his neck. After several minutes, they broke apart. They turned to carry on walking and saw Dan, looking on with bemusement. He walked back towards them to go back to the party. "Welcome Back." Dan whispered to Tessa as he passed. Tessa giggled and carried on walking to the Music Room with Jess.

Tessa walked straight to the piano. The keys glowed in the moonlight shafting in through the sat down. "Play." Jess said softly, sitting beside her.

Tessa played God Damn You're Beautiful. As Tessa played the final note, she realised that Jess was dead silent. "Remember when you first played that?" Jess asked. "Yeah. A demon threw me into a bookcase and gave me a concussion afterwards. I guess he didn't like it." Tessa laughed. Jess chuckled. "Probably." Jess answered. Tessa got up and walked over to the bookcase. She reached behind a book and took out yet another sketchbook. She gently tossed it to Jess, who grinned and went out onto the balcony to look properly in the soft moonlight. Tessa soon joined him, leaning on the balcony and looking out at the park nearby. "These are good." Jess remarked, flipping through the book. "Why do you hide them?" He asked. Tessa shrugged. "I don't usually share my sketches unless I am sure that I like them, so it takes a while." Jess laughed. "Really, though, these are really good." He handed the sketchbook back to Tessa. "Thanks." She gently tossed it back onto the seat out on the balcony. They stared out at the world for a while, before Jess spoke again. "Tessa, You do realise that no one knows much about you, right?" Tessa frowned. "What do you mean?" "Well, No one knows much about you apart from that you're arty and musical, and ace with a dagger." Jess explained. "True. Ask me something and I'll answer it for you." Tessa smiled. Jess thought for a moment. "What's your favourite two colours?" he asked. "Green and Sunset Orange." Tessa answered automatically. "Okay. What's your birthday?" Jess asked. "September the 16th." Tessa replied. "Thats in two days, isn't it?!" Jess asked. Tessa nodded. "I don't really like birthdays. I'm turning 17." Tessa said. Jess laughed. "I'm older than you! I turned 17 just before we found you." Jess said. Tessa yelped. "Aww! That sucks!" She said, laughing. As Tessa turned to Jess, he caught her. "You could have told me about your stress. You know I would have understood." He said softly. "I know. I just didn't want to worry you, but that plan kind of backfired." Tessa said quietly. Jess chuckled softly. "I know." He said. He kissed her gently. Tessa kissed him back, twining her arms around his neck like always. His hands slid up, knotting in her hair. Their gentle kiss turned fierce just like that, like adding kindle to a fire. It started to softly rain, before it began pouring down. They didn't seem to notice, though. A clap of thunder echoed through the sky, and a flashing spear of bright lightning lit up the night. Tessa laughed against Jess's lips. They broke apart and ducked back into the Music Room, drenched and laughing. They quickly walked to the door and out of the Music Room, before grabbing some towels and going up to the Training Room.

Their laughs echoed down the stairs as they opened the door and stepped into the Training Room. Tessa sat down on the floor and started drying her hair, making it all frizzy. She smoothed it down before she did it up in a chignon. She stood up and went over and grabbed her sketchbook, before giving it to Jess. His eyebrows shot up. "You have a lot of sketchpads." He commented as he flicked through. "Yeah." Tessa called from further across the room. "hey, Jess!" She called. "Yeah?" He called back. "Think Fast!" A dagger came whizzing in Jess's direction. he ducked just in time, and the dagger landed point-first in the wall. "Nice reflexes." Tessa grinned, walking over and plucking the dagger from the wall. Jess laughed. "I like the sketch you did this morning." Jess indicated the drawing she had been working on before he came in earlier on. "Thanks." She walked over. "How do you draw so well?" Jess asked. Tessa laughed. "Who knows?!" Tessa replied. Jess pulled Tessa towards him. "Had any more nightmares?" Jess whispered in Tessa's ear. Tessa shook her head, and her hair came out of it's chignon and tumbled down her back. "That's good." Jess said, kissing her gently. Tessa twined her arms around his neck, interlacing her fingers in Jess's hair. They were aware of each other only, and not of Megan watching them from the small gap in the doorway.


	23. Unfortunate Events

Jess and Tessa were in the library when they heard the screams. They jumped up and rushed to the door. Sophie came running. "The Institute is being invaded!" "By who?" Tessa panicked. "Aaron."

Tessa looked at Jess for a moment, before they took off running down the hallway. Jess took a dagger from his belt, while Tessa made sure her whip was around her wrist. as they entered the foyer, they saw Lauren, Megan, Tyler, and Dan fighting Aaron and his henchmen. Jess and Tessa joined the fight. After slicing a man in two with her whip, she saw Dan was being choked by another one. she ran over and somersaulted over them, before curling her whip around the other man's head and flicking her wrist, decapitating him. Dan turned with surprize, before his eyes widened. "DUCK!" Tessa ducked and Dan sent a LongBlade Dagger into the chest of another man, who staggered back and collapsed. Tessa jumped back up. A man came for her, so she flipped backwards and onto a table, stabbing him in the back. At last Aaron's henchmen were defeated, so Tessa brushed her fringe from her eyes and jumped down. Aaron was standing in the doorway, holding Megan, who was struggling in his grasp. she was bleeding, and Tessa saw Jess pale with fright and worry. Tessa went and stood beside Jess, squeezing his hand firmly. he grasped her hand tightly. "Give me Tessamine, or I kill her." Aaron hissed. Dan came up and stood next to Tessa. Sophie stood behind her, and Lauren stood in front. "Not a Chance." Lauren hissed. Tessa used her free hand to uncurl her whip without Aaron noticing. She communicated with Jess through her eyes, and got him to tell Lauren what to do. Lauren ducked, and Tessa sent her whip flying through the air, securing around Aaron's head. he pushed Megan away, who fell limply to the floor. Tessa gave Aaron a sweet smile, before she severed his head. It bounced and landed at her feet. she kicked it away, scowling. She saw Jess kneeling beside Megan. Tessa went over and knelt beside Jess. "Jess, Is she-" "I don't know." Jess gasped. She put her first two fingers to the vein in her throat, and felt nothing. Tessa turned her head to Jess and shook her head slightly. Dan came over, and Tessa had a quiet conversation with him. Jess has left the room, so Dan said the traditional words. "Ave atque vale, Megan Whitelaw." Dan closed Megan's eyes. Dan and Tessa looked at each other for a moment, before they looked pitifully in the direction Jess went. "I'll go-" "No." Tessa interrupted. "Leave him for a while." She said. Dan looked at her in surprize, but didn't protest.

The next morning Tessa woke up early, around 7:00am. she quickly got up and dressed, minus her boots, and walked along the corridor to Jess's room. she silently opened the door and found Jess sitting up, staring out the window. His eyes were glazed, and Tessa could tell that he wasn't really paying attention. Jess turned as Tessa walked in, but turned back to the window. "Jess." Tessa sighed and sat down next to him. "It's my fault." Was all Jess said in reply. "It was no one's fault, Jess. You weren't the only one who lost someone last night, the only difference is is that I killed him." Jess looked at Tessa, and remembered Tessa severing Aaron's head. "Oh Tess, I didn't mean-" "I know you didn't mean it that way, Jess." Tessa said gently. They sat in silence for a while, before Tessa stood up to leave. Jess stood up and grasped Tessa's arm, turning her towards him. Tessa gave him a look of surprize. "Tessa, how did you feel after you severed Aaron's head?" Jess inquired quietly. "I felt sort of..like a mix, really. between Victorious and a little...sorry. He was my father, after all. I can't get the look on his face out of my mind, the look of betrayal." Tessa sighed. "But, Jess, you can't change what happened. You know that." "Yes. I do." Jess said in a low voice. "But now my mother is dead and I have no family left." "You have more family then you might think." Tessa said softly. Jess looked up at her at that. "Like who?" "All of us here." Tessa answered. Jess smiled a little at that. Tessa kissed him softly. "You're allowed to think that it was your fault, but it's not. That's what is important." She whispered. Jess kissed her fiercely. Tessa's slim fingers knotted in Jess's hair. she could feel the hard press of his hands on her spine. When they broke apart, Tessa gasped for air. She had forgotten to breathe. Tessa pressed her forehead to his. "You'll be fine, Jess. I actually came to tell you that Alicia will now be staying with us, and she's made some French toast on baguettes. Do you want some? There's Maple Syrup." She said. Jess stared at her. She giggled softly. "I'll take that as a yes."

Dan was sitting at the table, eating his French toast. He heard the door open behind him, and turned around. Tessa and Jess walked in. Tessa sat down next to him, and Alicia handed both her and Jess some French toast. Dan noticed that Tessa's face was flushed slightly, and that she and Jess sat rather close, closer than usual. He fought the urge to laugh. Alicia broke the silence enveloping the room. "je me demande ce que nous pourrions faire ici aujourd'hui." She murmured to herself. "nous pourrions commencer à l'extérieur, peut-être. vous le savez, les murs de l'institut. nous pourrions commencer à sable-les aujourd'hui et les repeindre demain." Tessa answered nearly immediately. All eyes turned to her as she continued slathering her piece of French toast in maple syrup and icing sugar. She glance up. "What?" Jess tried to suppress a laugh. "I know what you said." He said. "You said 'we can start on the outside, maybe. you know, the walls of the institute. we could begin to sand them today and tomorrow repaint.' Didn't you?" Tessa's eyes lit up. "Nice translating." She said. "acceptez-vous?" Jess nodded. Tessa smiled slightly and went back to her French toast. "Let's start with the front wall."

Two hours later, with the sun beating down, sweat was pouring down their backs. Tessa had let her hair fall loose, and it was sticking to her face and neck. That was when Jess saw her tattoos. "I'm going inside to get a drink, who wants one?" He asked. "I'll help." Tessa smiled as everyone put their hands up. As they walked inside, Jess turned the conversation to her tattoos nonchalantly. "Hey, what's that tattoo on your shoulder?" He asked. Tessa froze. "How do you know about it?" She whispered. "When you were pulling your hair away from your face, I noticed it. " he shrugged. "How many do you have?" He asked. Tessa paused. "Three." She said and continued walking. "What are they?" Jess asked. "I have a pattern of Mockingbirds on my collarbone, flying in a line down to my heart, I have a Treble Clef behind my right ear, and I have a Golden Eagle in flight across my back." "Can I see?" Jess asked. Tessa sighed and turned around. She lifted her shirt up so her back was visible.


	24. Flight

There was a brilliant Gold and Black outline tattoo of a Golden Eagle in flight on her back, immensely detailed. It's wings spread across Tessa's shoulder Blades and the tips just touched the tops of her Shoulders. The body went down her spine to her lower back, with the tail feathers spread out in a fan-like shape. it was only an outline drawing, so it still looked delicate on Tessa's small frame. It was gorgeous. "Why did you get it?" He asked, still slightly stunned. "Eagles are believed to be a source of strength, courage, wisdom, healing, and illumination of spirit plus the knowledge of magic. The eagle is able to see hidden spiritual facts and rises over the material to perceive the spiritual." Tessa explained. She pulled down the back of her top, covering the tattoo, and turned back to Jess. Jess thought she sounded amazingly smart when she said that. "I got it only a couple years ago, actually. Each quality it has I have needed over the times here. I have needed strength to get through all the beatings I have taken, and to keep away the nightmares that crawl in during my sleep. I have needed Courage to be able to fight back, and be able to continue on. I have needed Wisdom to be able to plan ahead and be prepared, and Healing I have needed because after all the beatings I have taken, I need to be able to get back up again. I have the Treble Clef because I love music, and I have the mockingbirds because It represents each life I have taken while trying to keep myself alive." Tessa leaned back against the wall, brushing her fringe from her forehead. she sank to the ground, grateful that the Institute was keeping the cool inside, so the concrete was blissfully ice-cold. Jess sat down next to her. "Why do you hide them?" He asked. Tessa shrugged. "Everyone would ask what they mean, and I would have to explain all over again." She answered. They got everyone ice-cold sparkling waters, before going back outside. Tessa excused herself and left. When she came back, she was wearing a top where the back was very structured. it covered her neck, arms, and lower back, but it had a massive hole in the middle, and through it you could see Tessa's eagle. Dan's eye's widened, and Tyler's eyes were laughing. Lauren and Sophie looked slightly shocked, while Alicia looked proud. "I know what your tattoo means." Nearly everyone said in unison. "By the Angel, was I the only one who didn't?" Jess cried mockingly. Tessa laughed. "It seems so."

By the end of the day everyone was exhausted. Alicia gave everyone ice packs to keep them cool. Tessa was sitting on the bench in the kitchen with Lauren on one side and Sophie on the other. Lauren was examining her Mockingbird Tattoo, while Sophie was examining Tessa's Treble Clef Tattoo. Dan was standing on the other side of the bench, leaning over and gently looking at Tessa's Eagle Tattoo. Jess was leaning back against the fridge, the ice pack on his forehead, and Tyler was next to him, with the Ice pack on his wrists. Alicia was sitting in a chair, the Ice pack on her lap. Tessa's phone rang. She looked at the ID and her face lit up. she pressed answer and lifted the phone to her ear. "Bonjour! Il a été si longtemps depuis que nous avons parlé-" She broke off and they heard a buzzing in her ear. "Non, non. Rien de tel que." she laughed. "Je suis aux États-unis pour le moment, et j'ai tout simplement débordé. c'est tout." She nodded a couple times. "Je suis bien." she smiled. "comment se fait tout le monde? font-elles face à mon absence remarquée?" Tessa laughed at the reply. "juste putain de avec vous. Comment sont les filles?" She said. "Je suis heureux pour elle. attendons, pouvons-nous parler plus tard? Je suis un peu occupé et je suis en train de beaucoup de regards de mort." She chuckled, glancing at the looks on everyone's faces. "Mhm, Mhm, et toujours, meilleurs amis et enculés! Haha rappeler quand vous avez dit que, à la fin de la 11e année? oh, que m'a fait rire. de toute façon, obtenu d'aller. Bye!" She clicked the phone off and turned to everyone. "Sorry. That was my friend Camille. I haven't seen her since I left, and she was getting worried, so she phoned me." Tessa slid her phone into her pocket. "I'm going to go have a shower." She announced, and flounced out the door.


	25. Past Days Gone By

When Tessa got out of the shower, she wore a black shredded crop top/hoodie. the crop top had horizontal sliced cutouts along the long sleeves and body. It was a Hoodie at neck and had a cropped hem. She wore a pair of light blue stone distressed skinny jeans, and she wore a pair of knee high black Converse Chuck Taylors. As Tessa walked out, she slid her phone into her pocket, and wrapped her whip around her wrist. She quickly glided through the corridors to Jess's room, and rapped lightly on the door. The door opened, and there stood Jess. He looked at her in surprize, before letting her through. "I heard your phone conversation." Jess said before Tessa could speak. "I know." She nodded. "That's why I came." "What did you say at the end? In english?" Jess knew what she said, Tessa could tell, but she said it anyway. "Forever and always, best friends and Motherf*ckers! Haha remember when you said that at the end of the 11th grade? oh, that made me laugh. anyway, got to go. Bye." Tessa seemed to deflate a little bit. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to Jess. "What did you mean about the motherf*ckers part?" Jess asked, his mouth twitching. "Well, I was once...umm...Lets just say I didn't take kindly to following rules or being told to do things. I did things on my own watch.I guess you could say I was a bit rebellious" Tessa shrugged sheepishly. "I had a...pack,we used to call our friends group, and Camille was my sidekick. On the first day of 9th Grade, I ripped up my Math book into shreds on my desk before she handed me a lighter, and I set the pile of paper on fire. During Phys. Ed, we did fighting once. There was this little dweeb group, as we called them, and I got picked to fight one of them. I beat them until they were so bloody the floor had blood all over, like a red Carpet. Once we snuck in and ripped everything apart, dented the lockers, everything, before we set the place on fire. They rebuilt the school, and we continued wrecking havoc. On the last day of 11th Grade, the last time I saw her before I went on my cruise, Our pack burst through the gates and shouted. "Forever and Always, Best friends and Motherf*ckers! our arms linked, slightly drunk, laughing." Tessa explained. Jess's eyes were wide with shock. He was stunned. Tessa was blushing a furious Candy Apple Red. "Slightly drunk?" was all he asked. Tessa's blush deepened. "We all smuggled some alcohol in our water bottles. I brought Tequila, Vodka, Brandy and Gin, Camille bought Whisky, etc. We snuck into the toilets during lunch and mixed them all together in a big water bottle, and took turns drinking from it. I guess Slightly is an understatement." Tessa said as she looked down at her shoes. Jess stared at her. Her blush was nearly the same shade as her hair. "Wow." Was all he said though, and they were silent for a few moments. "That day was also when I got The Golden Eagle Tattoo. I was drunk, so it didn't hurt, but luckily i am an alert drunk, so I made a good choice." Tessa smiled slightly. Jess nodded a couple times. "You did make a good choice." Tessa could tell he was still slightly shocked at what she had told him. Tessa left the room silently.

She walked back to her room and walked to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face from the sink, before she went back and collapsed on the bed, beaten by the heat. She opened the window and looked out, leaning on the sill. Arms went around her waist, and she yelped in surprize and fear. She turned around and found Jess, grinning, behind her. "F*ck you, Jess!" She laughed. "You gave me such a fright. For a moment I was worried I was going to fall out the window!" She said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I wouldn't have let you." He laughed. "Hey, why didn't you let anyone know about...the Rebellion?" He asked as Tessa giggled. "The Rebellion? Hmm...I must tell Camille about that when I speak with her next." She finally stopped giggling. "Because." She said. "I thought you all might tell me to f*ck off." She said sheepishly. Jess chuckled. "We wouldn't." He answered. "But I didn't know you guys well then, did I? For all I was concerned, you could have told me to f*ck off at any moment." She retorted. Jess laughed. "Yes, We could have. But we didn't. That's all that matters, isn't it?" Jess said softly. "I suppose so. I guess that's why I told you now." Tessa said. "Are you sure that your Inner Rebel is gone?" Jess teased. "You did get two other tattoos." "Hey!" She laughed. "I got the treble clef before i got the eagle, and i got the mockingbirds a week ago." Tessa said. She was still scared Jess was going to drop her. "Whatever." Jess kissed her gently. "I'm just glad that we didn't tell you to f*ck off." He said. Tessa laughed and kissed him back.


	26. Hate You

Early the next morning, Tessa's alarm went off. "What the f*ck?" She mumbled, slamming the alarm clock to the floor. She changed into a white blouse that was see through silk-chiffon at the back, a pair of black silk trousers, and a pair of black leather ankle boots with a stiletto wedge heel. She tied her hair back into a plaited bun atop her head and pulled one sleeve down, exposing her mockingbird tattoo. When she walked downstairs, she recognised the glint in Jess's eyes enough to realise that he had been the one who had set her alarm early. "F*ck you, Jess!" She laughed, slapping the back of his head lightly. He grinned, and she saw the wicked glint in his eyes. "Oh, no no no no. Don't you dare-" She broke off with a shriek as Jess picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. She squealed as he tickled her. "Okay okay okay! Truce, Truce!" She shouted. He set her down and crossed his arms over his chest, mock-smirking. "Don't look so proud." Tessa muttered darkly. Jess laughed. "And what are you going to do?" He taunted. Tessa flipped over his head and pulled him to the floor. Leaving him sitting there, dazed, she skipped in circles around him, acting all mock-innocent. Dan, Lauren, Sophie, and Alicia, who were downstairs with Jess before Tessa arrived, were watching on with amusement. Laughing, Jess grabbed her ankle, and she stopped, her eyes wide. "Oh, Dear God-" Tessa said, before Jess pulled her down. She screeched. "What did I ever do to you?" She asked, laughing. Jess just stared at her. Tessa giggled. "Ignore that question." She said, before Jess started pulling Tessa down the corridor by her ankle. "Hey! Let me go!" She screeched. Sophie outstretched her hand, and Tessa gripped it. Sophie pulled Tessa towards her. "Um, Hello? I'm not a rag doll!" Tessa shrieked. Sophie shrugged, and let go. "Hey! Soph!" Tessa yelled as she got dragged further down the hall. "Jess, you can let go of me now." She muttered, laughing. Laughing, Jess let go. "Finally!" Tessa nursed her ankle, while shooting death glares in Jess's direction. She raced back to everyone. "Hide me." She giggled, standing behind Sophie. She moved away. She stood behind Lauren, and then Alicia, but they moved away. As she stood behind Dan, he picked her up and hauled her over his shoulder. "Are you putain de kidding me?" She said, masking her curse with French. Alicia stifled a laugh. She spoke and understood French fluently, so she knew what Tessa had said. Dan grinned. He too understood and spoke French. "Non, je ne suis pas. et je ne vais pas vous laisser aller jusqu'à ce que vous dites «vous êtes impressionnants et vous basculez dans le latin." He answered in french. Tessa shot a dagger glance at both him and Jess, who had reappeared, before answering. "tu terribilis te atque silicis" She muttered, and he set her down gently on her feet. "I hate you." She said to Sophie. Sophie laughed. "No you don't, you love me." She answered, and Tessa regarded them all stalked away, her heels click-clacking down the corridor. Jess laughed as he went after her.

Tessa was playing To Build a Home on the piano when Jess walked in. He listened silently until she finished the piece, when she looked up and spotted him. "Hey, Jess." She called, and shuffled through some scores. "Hi." He said, coming and sitting down next to her. She put the Scores away. Jess noticed her wince slightly. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked. Tessa laughed. "I walked into a doorframe. No big deal." She answered, and got up. Jess laughed. "Only you would walk into a doorframe." Tessa pretended to think this over. "True." She grinned. Jess gently ran his index finger over the curve of the Eagle's wing on Tessa's back. Tessa chuckled.


	27. Spar and Attack

Later on that night, Tessa was standing on the Music Room balcony, looking out at the city, when she felt a presence behind her. She whirled around in the moonlight, and saw Jess standing in the doorway. Jess went and stood next to Tessa on the balcony. As she turned to him, her pendant caught the moonlight, and it illuminated like it was glowing. I know you are going to ask me something, so just do it." Tessa laughed softly. "I wasn't going to ask you anything." Jess replied. "Uh-huh." Tessa grinned. Jess chuckled. "Fine, I was." Tessa giggled. "Victory!" She said softly. Jess laughed. "It doesn't matter anyway. come on." He said, and led Tessa back inside. As they walked to the Training Room, they stopped dead at the base of the stairs. Sophie was back against the wall, kissing Dan. Jess and Tessa looked at each other and fought the urge to laugh. Tessa tapped her toe against the vinal floor, and the sound echoed through the stairwell. Sophie and Dan looked up in shock. As Dan looked at Tessa, she held his gaze, before crossing her arms over her chest and walking up the stairs. "Vice Versa deja vu." She whispered in Dan's ear as she went past, and Dan smiled slightly. Jess soon followed Tessa, before they continued their way to the Training Room.

After midnight their first sparring match was still going on. In the end Tessa won, though. She deflected Jess's move and she flipped over him, elbowing her gently in the head. He fell to the floor. Tessa put him in a headlock with one arm while she put her dagger to Jess's throat. "And you're dead." She whispered in his ear. She got up and offered her hand to him. As she pulled him up, they heard clapping behind them. Tyler, Lauren, Sophie, Dan, and Alicia were all standing in the doorway. they had been watching the entire match. Tessa jokingly bowed, and everyone laughed, including herself. They then watched Sophie and Dan spar. Tessa stood in front of Jess, so he was resting his head on her chin. She was the perfect height for a chin had his arms wrapped around her waist and she was giggling because he was humming, and she could feel it vibrating through her head. When Dan won, Tessa pouted, while Jess cheered. She hit him lightly on the came over and asked to spar with Tessa she laughed. She beat him in two minutes. "So, who's next?" She asked, twirling the dagger in her hand. She then beat Lauren and Tyler, too. "Champion!" She grinned, and sat down on a seat while Jess and Dan sparred. She first felt the rush of wind against her neck, before she felt the searing pain in her neck. She cried out in pain. Dan looked up and somersaulted over Tessa and the chair, stabbing the demon in the back. "Are you alright, Tess?" Dan asked. Tessa opened her mouth to answer, but she started coughing. she put her hand to her mouth, and it came away red. she whimpered. Dan grabbed a stele and drew an iratze, a healing rune, on her neck, before leading her to her room . in the corridor outside her room, Tessa could barely open the door. Dan opened it for her. and she looked at him. her pupils were dilated, and she was barely walking straight. Dan looked at her neck, and saw no rune mark. He called for Jess and Alicia as she fell to the floor. "The runes aren't working." he said.

Tessa woke in the infirmary. She groaned and stood up. She went straight to the library. Both Jess and Dan were in there. "Hey." She called as she padded down the stairs, wincing slightly. "Are you human, Tess?" Jess laughed. "What do you mean?" She laughed, sitting in between the two. "You heal from everything!" They all laughed.


	28. We're Missing Out On Dinner

**I know it's short, but oh well! It's worth it, right? I actually sent some of this to IAmTheRevelation, because they wanted Jess and Tessa to get together. So, Enjoy!**

Later on that morning, Alicia gave Tessa a tisane. Soon she was back to full strength. That night she was just drifting off when someone knocked on her door. It was Jess. She let him in wordlessly, before clicking the door shut behind him. Jess spun Tessa towards him and kissed her fiercely. He wasn't worried about how strong she was. He knew she would always be fine. "I've been wanting to do that since you came into the library." Jess whispered. Tessa laughed silently. "Me too." She whispered back, kissing him softly. Jess pressed his hands into Tessa's spine, deepening the kiss. Tessa looped her slim arms around his neck and twined his hair with her fingers, responding back. Tessa fell back onto the bed, not letting go. In mere moments they were both shirtless. Tessa ran her hand down Jess's chest to Jess's abs, and she ran her fingers over his abs a few times. A low growl came from the back of his throat, and he moved his hands from her lower back. He ran them up Tessa's back, and she moaned, digging her fingers into Jess's shoulders. Jess's hands moved back down to Tessa's waist and he kissed her so hard it nearly hurt. Tessa arched up, making herself as close as possible. Tessa moaned and moved her fingers from Jess's shoulders to his abs again, digging her fingers into the crevasses. He groaned and nearly snapped Tessa in half, lifting her back from the mattress and kissing her so hard it hurt. Tessa spoke between kisses. "Were...Missing out...on dinner." She said softly. "Who...cares?" He answered. "They'll come…looking for us...after." Tessa replied. Jess seemed to shrug, before he pressed his hands into Tessa's spine, kissing her hard.


	29. Kiss

**Finally! This is pretty much all I have written so far, so finally I have caught up!**

"I wonder what we're going to be doing today." Tessa mused the next morning on their way to breakfast. Jess kissed her softly. "So do I." Tessa giggled and kissed him back. As they continued walking, they didn't notice that they had kissed outside Alicia's study. They didn't realise that she had been in there, and had watched them.

When they were ordered to the library, they were most puzzled. They walked in and stood on the small landing before the stairs descended. Alicia had been waiting, with Dan, Lauren, Tyler, and Sophie standing on the next floor, leaning over the railing. Alicia and Tessa had an argument, and Tessa was nearly in tears when Alicia announced that she wanted the two to kiss. Tessa slowly wrapped her fingers around Jess's, and he squeezed them softly. They stood for a few moment's before Tessa turned slightly to Jess, and had only just torn her gaze from Alicia when Jess kissed her. She wrapped an arm around his neck, and the other hand she left where it had found itself. She gently placed her hand over Jess's abs, and he deepened the kiss. Alicia was standing there, eyes wide and pale with shock, while the others were close to laughing. Dan had to disguise his laugh with a cough, because it was funny to see his mother so shocked by his sister. Tessa and Jess broke apart, and Tessa turned back to Alicia slowly and stared at her, before both she and Jess left the library. Alicia sat down in the chair, not once taking her eyes off of the retreating figures. The other's took that as their cue to leave as well, and they did so.

Tessa had left Jess at his room an hour ago, so she wandered into the Music room and sat down at the Piano and started playing Arrival of the Birds.

Jess woke up to haunting Piano notes drifting through the walls. He didn't even bother to wonder who it was as he walked into the music room and down the stairs. He watched Tessa as she played. She always got caught up in the music, and it wasn't different now. She looked down at the keys as she played in a face that read Pure Joy. Jess went and sat down next to her as she finished the piece. She closed the lid and turned to Jess. "Sorry if I woke you." She said. Jess laughed. "You didn't, but playing that piece I wouldn't have minded." Tessa smiled. "I wish I could play as well as you." Jess said. Tessa chuckled. "That piece is one of the easy ones. I could teach you if you want." Jess got the hang of it pretty quickly, and was soon playing it better than Tessa. Dan came in. "Jess? Jess is playing Piano?" He said. Tessa laughed. "I taught him, but yes." Dan laughed. He came and sat down and played the piece too. Tessa chuckled. "Now we have three!" She proclaimed, giggling. They all laughed. After an hour or so, Dan left. Jess left too, so Tessa went out onto the balcony and looked out at the city in the lunchtime sun.


	30. Rude Awakening

_**You're doing great! Throughout reading this I've laughed, cried, become as mad I'll ever get out, and just so many more things. A true writer can really toy around with your emotions and somehow, make them feel as if they're right there, witnessing everything- you have that special touch! Update soon! I'm waiting!**_

**Here is your update, IAmRevelation! Thank you for that comment, it's so sweet!**

**~Amy xo :)**

As Tessa rounded the corner in the hallway, she crashed into someone. Before she fell, the person caught her. She saw that it was Jess and she walked together back to Tessa's room, where she was going in the first place. She let herself fall back and sighed. She turned around and buried her head in her pillow. Jess chuckled and sat next to her. Tessa turned onto her back and sighed. Jess pulled her towards him and wrapped his arm around her as she rested her head on his chest. "Get some sleep." He whispered. Tessa nodded and soon drifted off.

Tessa woke in the morning to Jess gently prodding her awake. She rolled over and buried her head i the pillow. She felt Jess get up and smiled to herself. The she felt Ice cold. She shrieked and quickly got up. "Fine! I'm up!" She said while Jess laughed. He had poured ice cold water all over her. He left to go to breakfast as Tessa had a shower and got into a pair of long leggings and a simple black tank with her knee high Converse, before she stalked downstairs. When she walked in, she saw Jess trying to hide a smile. She gently hit him in the shoulder as she sat down. "Nice wake up call." She said sarcastically. Jess laughed. "He poured Ice cold water on my head because I didn't get up." She explained to everyone, who were looking puzzled. Everyone tried to hide a grin. Tessa caught them and sighed, slathering her toast with butter. She muttered something under her breath that sounded like ducking glass mole, before she finished off her toast and got up. She hit Jess on the back of the head before she walked out, earning herself a punch in the arm from Jess. "Hey!" She shouted as she left the room, rubbing her arm. Jess chuckled and continued eating his breakfast.


	31. Kiera

**Here, IAmRevelation! You'r character, Kiera! She was metioned earlier and I decided to put her in a storyline. What do you think?**

**~Amy xo**

Jess came into the library and found Tessa. She looked up as he walked in.. "A couple of the maids, Steph and Kiera, are going to be trained, because we have two new maids and these new ones will be replacing them, so they will be joining our little group. Alicia sent me to ask you if you want to help me train them." Jess said. Tessa shrugged. "Alright." She got up and walked with him to the training room, tying up her hair in a high ponytail. When they got to the training room, they found the two girls there already. They looked up as Jess and Tessa came in, and went silent. Tessa studied the girls carefully. The first girl was very pretty. She had blonde hair and striking Tawny eyes. She was quite skinny and medium height, so the skinniness made her look like a delicate porcelain doll, not a stretchy piece of elastic. She Was wearing a black crop hoodie and a pair of Jeans, with a simple black tee underneath the hoodie. She was wearing low cut Green Converse and she had a kind smile. The other girl had shiny long black hair and a pale face with lots of freckles. she had pale blue eyes and was quite short. She was wearing a pair of shorts and a simple yellow tee, as well as a pair of black slip on shoes. "So, who's who?" Jess asked. "I'm Kiera, and this is Steph." The blond girl answered, pronouncing her name Key-ra. "I'm Jess, and this is Tessa." Jess responded. Kiera looked at Tessa. "I've heard of you. You're the one who keeps on nearly dying, right?" She asked. Tessa stifled a laugh. "Yes, I guess so." Jess too looked amused. "So, first we're going to train you in knife-throwing. Tessa will stand in front of the target, and I will throw knives at the target around her, saying exactly where the knife will hit beforehand." Jess said. Tessa went and stood in front of a target, while Kiera and Steph stood beside Jess. "This one will land By the left side of Tessa's neck." Jess said, and threw the dagger with perfect precision, landing right by Tessa's neck. "This one will land by Tessa's right elbow." Jess said, and again hit the right place. "This one will land right above Tessa's head. Tessa heard Kiera suck in a breath. Jess threw and Just missed Tessa's head, landing exactly right above it. Tessa looked up and smiled slightly. "Now It's my turn." Tessa laughed and went over the the basket of daggers while Jess stood by the next target. 'This one will land by Jess's Right shoulder." Tessa proclaimed, and sent the blade sailing through the air. It stuck, and hovered just above his shoulder. "This one will land by Jess's Left hand." Tessa said, and sent the knife spinning. It landed right by Jess's hand, just missing. "And this one will land right above Jess's head." The knife was a blur in the air, and they heard it stick to the wood. As Jess moved, he winced. He turned around and saw that the blade and stuck a few strands of hair to the board. Jess took Steph to the next target over on the left, while Tessa took Kiera over to the spare one on the right. In between Kiera's second and third throw, She spoke to Tessa. "You and Jess must trust each other a lot if you are willing to be stabbed by each other." She muttered as she threw, and for the third time the blade stuck in the exact centre. Tessa Smiled. "Yes, we do." She answered back quietly.

Kiera's POV

I look up at Tessa as she answers. She has long flowing red hair tied up in a ponytail, and she looks pretty. She is wearing a black tank and a pair of black jeans with a pair of knee high converse. She has high cheekbones and pale pink cheeks. She has lovely golden eyes and a kind smile. I can see her as a sister figure to me. "How old are you?" I ask her as I throw another perfect throw. "I'm 17." she answers. "And you?" She asks. I smile as I throw my shot. "15." I answer back.

End of POV

Kiera whispers something in Tessa's ear, and Tessa nods. Kiera throws a blade at Steph's target and hits the dead centre. Steph turns to Kiera and Tessa. "Now you can say you hit the centre." Kiera says with a smile. Tessa looks at Jess and shakes with silent laughter. Jess chuckles quietly, too. After the hour is over, they finish knife-throwing and go to sparring. Jess and Tessa explain what they are going to do in an example spar, before they announce that they are going to stop explaining and do an exhibition sparring match. Tessa ducked under a sword shot and sweeped her leg across. Jess barely managed to jump out of the way. Tessa flipped over him and elbowed him in the head. he fell to the floor. She put him in a headlock with one arm while she put her dagger to his throat. "And you're dead." Tessa whispered in Jess's ear. She got up, and offered her hand to Jess to help him up. He accepted, and Tessa pulled him to his feet. Kiera gave a low whistle and clapped. The two bowed, and they all laughed. Tessa and Jess then coached their protege's against themselves, letting them win, before Steph and Kiera got to spar each other. The match was a long one, but eventually Kiera beat Steph. Tessa went to help Steph up, and as she did so she whispered quietly in the girl's ear. "You did good. Try and find Kiera's vulnerable spot and wear her down next time." She pulled away and gave Steph a smile. They then finished Training for the day, and Kiera and Steph watched as Tessa and Jess sparred several more times, before they all trooped out of the Training Room.


	32. IAmRevelation

**Thank you so much, IAmRevelation, for your sweet reviews! You sound like such a kind person and I want to thank you for your comments. They have pushed me to continue, because until this morning I had 4 chapters up. I was worried about people's reception to my story, and you have really boosted my confidence and my courage. I put Kiera in a storyline because of you, and I hope you enjoy her storyline. P.S. She will not die, Kill anyone, or be evil...I promise! Here is my favourite review:**

_You're doing great! Throughout reading this I've laughed, cried, become as mad I'll ever get out, and just so many more things. A true writer can really toy around with your emotions and somehow, make them feel as if they're right there, witnessing everything- you have that special touch! Update soon! I'm waiting!_

**I'm so touched by this comment. It really made my day. I keep on laughing when I read this review:**

_Poor Tessa... She's getting the bad end of the deal- she's passed out, been knocked out, her real mother was found and buried, and then kidnapped? Something's not right here. Tessa better be okay! (C'mon, Jess, get your girl back and kick some butt!)_

**She's passed out, been knocked out, her real mother was found and buried, and then kidnapped? Something's not right Here. ;') This was so funny to read. I agree though. It's true. I guess I have an Evil mind. ;) Thank you so much again! Please read her story, Lost Souls, and check out her profile for her other storys. :)**

**~Amy xoxoxoxo**


	33. Repetition

**It's around 9:00pm here in New Zealand. I'm exhausted so here my last 2 chapters of the day. I posted most of the chapters today, so i'm very proud. Keep reading!**

**~Amy xo :)**

Tessa stepped out of the shower and sighed. She got into a pair of High Waisted pale denim stone distressed skinny jeans, a pale pink crop top that ended just below her bust with horizontal sliced cutouts along the long sleeves and body, and a pair of knee high stiletto Chuck Taylors. She walked out and walked through the corridors to the Music room. Kiera came up to her. "Hi, Tessa." She said shyly. Tessa smiled kindly. "Hey, Kiera." She answered. "Do you want to come with me to the Music room?" Tessa asked. Kiera nodded and walked with Tessa. Kiera listened silently as Tessa played Arrival of the Birds. "Wow." Kiera breathed as Tessa finished. Tessa smiled at Kiera. "Thanks. I play a lot." She replied. Kiera nodded. "Sometimes I hear you through the walls." Kiera said. Tessa gave her a surprised look. Kiera laughed. "You can hear it through the entire Institute." She responded. Tessa laughed. "I didn't know that." She answered. They walked out and went to the library. Tessa laughed as Kiera's eyes lit up. Kiera sat and read a book, while Tessa drew Kiera. Kiera was lying on the couch, her legs in front of her. She was reading intently, and didn't notice Tessa draw her. Tessa smiled at her drawing. When Kiera fell asleep, Tessa smiled. She lifted Kiera and walked to Kiera's room. She placed her softly on the bed, taking off her hoodie and shoes. She got a pale blue woollen blanket and draped over Kiera's shoulders, tucking it in gently. Tessa whispered goodnight and kissed her gently on the forehead, before leaving and clicking the door shut silently. She went back and to her drawing. she photocopied it and went back to Kiera's room. She placed the original copy on Kiera's bedside table, scrawling a quick note.

I drew this while you were reading. I hope you like it.~Tessa xo

Tessa sighed as she went back to her room. She was brushing her hair out when Jess walked in. "Hey." she greeted him. "What do you think of Steph and Kiera?" Jess asked. Tessa looked at him through the reflection of the mirror. "I think Kiera's really good. Steph is good too, but she's worrying about hurting Kiera or about missing, so i think her worry is restraining her a bit." Tessa answered. "I agree, to be honest." He replied. Tessa stood up and went over to Jess, who was looking out her window. "Kiera's really sweet." She said, smiling. Jess pulled Tessa to him. "I think it was nice of her to give Steph the credit for the knife." Jess said softly. Tessa smiled. "So do I." She whispered back, kissing him softly. Jess pressed his hands into Tessa's spine, deepening the kiss. Tessa looped her slim arms around his neck and twined his hair with her fingers, responding back. Tessa fell back onto the bed, not letting go. In mere moments they were both shirtless, and Tessa wrapped her slim legs around Jess's waist. She ran her hand down Jess's chest to Jess's abs, and she ran her fingers over his abs a few times. A low growl came from the back of his throat, and he moved his hands from her lower back. He ran them up Tessa's back, and she moaned, digging her fingers into Jess's shoulders. Jess's hands moved back down to Tessa's waist and he kissed her so hard it nearly hurt. Tessa arched up, making herself as close as possible. Tessa moaned and moved her fingers from Jess's shoulders to his abs again, digging her fingers into the crevasses. He groaned and nearly snapped Tessa in half, lifting her back from the mattress and kissing her so hard it hurt. Tessa moaned as Jess ran a hand along her torso. "What...do you think...will happen...if my mother...finds us?" Tessa asked between kisses. Jess moaned. "Don't...remind me." He replied, pressing his hands into her spine. He would have crushed her by now if she hadn't been so strong. Tessa just kissed him back harder.

Kiera's POV

I wake up in the morning on my bed, wrapped in my blue blanket. I slowly lift myself up, and see something on my bedside table. I pick it up, and I see that it is a drawing of me reading last night from Tessa's Point of View. I read her note and smile. Thank you Tessa I say mentally. I write myself a mental note to thank her at training today.

End of POV

At training that day, they are focusing firstly on punching and kicking. As Tessa helps Kiera, Kiera remembers her drawing. "Thank you for the drawing. I love it." Kiera says. Tessa smiles softly. "You're welcome." She replies. Then Kiera and Steph watch Jess and Tessa fight.

Kiera's POV

As I watch Tessa and Jess fight, I notice that they seem closer than yesterday. Tessa finishes like she did yesterday, only without the dagger. Tessa is on top of Jess, and I notice that afterwards, as Tessa gets up, she is flushing slightly. Steph and I fight, and I win, so I have to face Jess. I barely beat him, but I still do anyway. Tessa looks like she's trying not to laugh. Now I face Tessa. She beats me, barely I might add, and she smiles as she helps me up. Now we focus on shooting with a Bow and Arrow. "Tessa's specialty." Jess winks, and Tessa laughs. She steps into this area of the room that has a large sliding glass door, so we can watch her. She slides on the sheath of arrows and grabs a bow, before entering the hardest level for the simulation. She shoots mechanically, not missing is a large simulation coming to her when she realizes that she has no arrows left. She holds the bow with the string facing towards the ceiling and Pulls back the string. She pulls it towards her slightly, and lets it fly. the tip of the bow slams into the simulation's head, and it is killed. The simulation ends, and Tessa steps out of the small room. Jess laughs. "See?" He says. Tessa slaps him in the shoulder gently, laughing. I smile. Tessa's amazing. She's so sweet. But by the looks of things, I don't want to get on her bad side.

End of POV


	34. Portal

When they finished training, Tessa walked with Steph on the way out. "You're getting good, you know." She said. Steph's face lit up. "Really?" She asked. "Really." Tessa confirmed. "One thing is, don't worry about hurting Kiera during a fight, or worry about where your next shot will end up. I think that's that's hindering your skills a little." Tessa said kindly. Steph nodded. "Alright. Thanks." She said. Tessa went to the library, and was about to go in when she heard someone in there. "Yes, Yes. She's starting to trust me now." It was Alicia. "Arrange for another note at dawn tomorrow. Yes, She'll soon give me her pendant, and You will pay me for the adamas. Ok? Bye." Tessa understands now. She stormed into the room. "So what was that about?" She says loudly. Alicia turns, and her face darkens. "You were the one trying to kill me?!" Tessa screams at Alicia. Alicia slaps her. "You were never grateful." She spat. "I never got the chance because YOU ABANDONED ME!" Tessa shouts. Dan comes in but they both ignore him. He tries to hold Tessa back but she shoves him off. "Why!?" She shouts. "I gave you up because even then you were a little b*tch." She snarls. Tessa starts to cry, so she rushes out of the room. She goes to her room and packs a small bag. She walks to the Music room and draws a Portal on one of the walls. She took a breath, hoisting her bag over her shoulder. Jess took that opportunity to come in the room. "Tessa!" He said, alarmed. She ignored him and stepped towards the portal. Jess grabbed her and tried to pull her back. "Leave me alone, Jess!" She screams. "I've had enough. Enough." She says. She looks at him and kisses him softly, before she steps through the Portal, the blinding blue and white light surrounding her like a blazing flame.

**This is the end of Part 1! This continues on to New Life, so I decided to post this bit. I will probably do One more chapter, based on how Kaylee and Ciera find Tessa in LA, but that will be all! Thank you for supporting me and I hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to read Part 2!**

**~Amy xo :)**


	35. My Jessa Playlist

_**Hey! Here is a short playist I made out of songs I have on my Ipad(there are 603 of 'em) about Tessa and Jess. Enjoy! :)**_

_**~Amy xo**_

**My Songs Know What You Do In The Dark~Fall Out Boy.**

**To Build a Home~The Cinematic Orchestra.**

**Army of Two~Olly Murs.**

**Art of Love~Guy Sebastian ft. Jordan Sparks.**

**Come and Get It~Selena Gomez.**

**Flying Without Wings~Westlife.**

**If Today Was Your Las Day~Nickleback.**

**Only Girl(In The World)~Rihanna.**

**Royals~Lorde.(Go NZ!)**

**Skin and Bones~Beth Crowley.**

**Start a Riot~Jetta.**

**_What do you think? Review and add any more songs you think suit Jess and Tessa! Bye for now!_**

******Amy xo :)**


	36. Video

_Okay. I know, I know I know! I can't stay away!_

_So, i'm going to attempt to make a video of Jess and Tessa from other actors/actresses from other movies and post it on youtube. Does anyone know how to make them? If you do plz PM me and Tell me how! For now though, Plz review this chapter and Tell me who you think could Play Jess, Tessa, and the bad guy :P I'll use the same guy for all, I think. Also, plz tell me what scenes you would want in the video. Thanks!_

**~Amy xo :)**


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